Deny Thy
by HeartSNS
Summary: NAR/SAS In a world where your position of power is determined by your status, there is little hope for those who fall under the lowest status level to ever become something more. Sasuke is determined to fight the status quo of his biological determined status. omegaverse/werewolfsas&naru/omegaSasu/alphaNaru/yaoi/torture/denial/boyxboy/mating/minorCharDeath/mpreg/ItaDei
1. Chapter 1

Thanks to finally figuring out this site, I wanna give special notification to Little Letters who had the original idea for this story! I wanted to branch out and end the original story's that were left unfinished long long ago.

Boy love coming up, don't like that sort of thing, then I suggest you turn on your heel and out the same way you came in.

Wanna leave a comment? By all means, go right ahead, it makes for an interesting time for me when I write. :)

Still a beta at heart though! So any SNS writers out there looking for a beta, drop me a line! On with the show!

-XOXO-

Coming of Age - Past

 _The moonlight filtered through the cracks of the ruffled curtains that hung over the window casting a stretch of light across the bed, where a figure shivered beneath a light sheet. Light panting could be heard coming from the figure's mouth, muscles quivering involuntary and teeth chattered sporadically._

 _The figure's blue black hair was flat against the young man's skull, slick from perspiration. Tufts of hair stuck to his forehead, sideburns and cheeks; the young man too weak to brush it aside. Lips dry, parted and appeared chapped as quick pants were expelled. Every so often, a parched tongue would emerge, attempting to moisten the lips and teeth would chatter briefly. Eyes remained hidden while whimpers and moans of discomfort were heard._

 _"I brought you some water, try and relax otouto," a voice softly spoke, as a tall figure entered the semidarkness._

 _"N-n-niisan…h-h-hurts," a broken whisper came from the shivering figure on the bed._

 _"Sshh…sleep, you will feel better when you wake," the deep voice gently responds as he stands by the bed. He reaches out his hand and palms the smaller figure's forehead, then lightly strokes the blue black hair back. The sweat dampened figure leans into the gentle caress and whines softly. Eyelids fluttered, struggling to open. "Soon otouto, soon," the gentle voice speaks while continuing to caress the boy's hair coaxing the boy into sleep._

 _A tremor rocked through the sheet clad body and the body clicked and jerked harshly, the spine then bowed, a mouth opened in a chocked gasp like the air was sucked out of the lungs and eyes bulged open wide. His toes curled hard, his arms splayed out on either side as sounds of cracks and rips came from his body. His legs spasmed and knees locked. He let out a chocked scream as his body jerked and convulsed on the bed. His head bent back, eyes squeezed shut as the pain rocked through his body. There was no control as the body jerked and twitched on the bed. As his body got to close to the side, he gasped, trying to draw in air as his body flopped to the floor. Every area of his body felt like it was burning, like acid running through his veins, scorching everything on the way through. It felt as if his body had a mind and transformation plan of its own. The pain, the pain...how could anyone get through this! His fingers scratched at the floor, trying to grasp anything to move him away from the pain, a common instinctual habit. His legs trembled and twitched as his legs felt like they were twisting into a new shape. He screamed again as he felt the air rush from his lungs when it felt as if his chest had collapsed on itself with ribs cracking and pushing through his skin. He managed to open his eyes, looking in the darkness, grinding his teeth together, his feet pushing on the floor, trying to move, walk, anything! He looked up, "N-n-nisaa…", he spit out through clenched teeth, "p-p-ple-ase…h-help me…" He flopped like a fish, his head swinging around involuntary, his eyes wide trying to see. His fingers continued to scratch at the floor, his fingertips starting to bleed. As his eyes searched, finding no figure in the space, his back popped and arched, a scream left his mouth as he cried out._

 _Claws began to stretch out of fingertips and toes, neck muscles cracked and popped as the neck began to stretch into a longer shape. Knee joints rolled backwards and ankle bones stretched. The boy hiccupped and coughed as he choked on his own saliva while trying to scream from the pain, as his body manipulated itself to something else. His eyes bled red, he could feel the slick of sweat across his body. His throat spasmed as he coughed out a screech feeling his face push out. He stretched his arm out, fingers reaching for the door. He grit his teeth together, drool dribbling from his mouth as he growled, "AAHH NIISAN!" and collapsed into darkness._

 _Outside the door there was no noise. There was no flurry of footsteps of concerned family running through the home, no one flipping on lights in alarm, just silence, as if the house was empty. A tall darkened figure emerged from the shadows and padded quietly down the hall, stopping outside the door, head tilted slightly listening to the now silent room. The tall figure then continued and stepped silently into another room, closing the door behind him. The house remained still._

 _Morning light filtered through the window of his younger brother's bedroom. The room appeared peaceful, but Itachi knew better. His younger brother's bedroom was the evidence of an obvious struggle confined to the room. Blood and diluted vomit littered the floor and furniture. Clothing and bedding lie in various stages of destruction throughout the room and he finds his little brother crumpled into a ball, in deep sleep, with pieces of torn cloth laying on various parts of his body. Itachi smiled sadly, kneeling to his sleeping brother. Oh how he wanted to barge into his brother's room last night to help him relieve the pain, to coddle him and hold him through it all, but he knew he could not. The worst was over for now and now he was able to help._

 _"Sasuke, Sasuke, time to wake up," Itachi spoke softly while running his hand through Sasuke's hair. It was matted with blood and vomit, but Itachi didn't care, "come on otouto, rise and shine."_

 _"Mmph…" Sasuke fluttered his eyelids, his body giving a tremor before he opened his eyes and focused on his brother. Sasuke's eyes opened wide as he struggled to sit up, remembering some of what had happened the night before. As he sat up he found his skin was sensitive and he felt dehydrated. "Niisan, it happened didn't it? The pain was too real to be a nightmare," Sasuke's raspy voice managed to speak. His throat felt like a cheese grater went through it and his mouth felt as if it was full of cotton. Sasuke's wide eyes locked onto Itachi's. "Where were you niisan? I-I called, you…you were gone. Why did you leave me?" Sasuke's hands were clenched together, wringing themselves over and over in his lap, waiting for Itachi to answer. Itachi looked straight into Sasuke's eyes, seeing the hurt and confusion of his otouto, he felt guilty, but he knew he could nothing. Itachi began to stand up and helped pull Sasuke up, lifting him gently by the arms and getting Sasuke to his feet. Itachi led Sasuke to his bed and they both sat. Itachi sighed and gave Sasuke's hand a squeeze._

 _"Your right otouto, it did happen, it wasn't a dream. I couldn't help you during your time of coming of age, you know that, you know the dangers during this time." Itachi put his arm around Sasuke's shoulders and hugged him in close. Sasuke hmm'd a response and Itachi could feel Sasuke inhale deeply and begin to relax. "I have brought you some pain killers and water." Itachi pointed over to the bed side table that survived the previous evenings onslaught._

 _Sasuke sat up reaching for the water and pills. "Thanks niisan, I guess lycanthropy didn't skip me." Sasuke sighed, took the pills and leaned against his brother, suddenly feeling exhausted. His family were from a long line of descendant werewolves. Not everyone in the family got the gene, it was impossible to tell who would get it, and with today's changing world, the gene was seen far and few between in the Uchiha blood line. Itachi answered his beast call at age 16 years, normal age for the calling, and naturally their father was beaming with pride. Sasuke recalls that night, as he locked himself in his room, crying as he listened to his brother in wolf form rip apart his room in a disorientated state. Sasuke recalls the sounds of snarls, the cries and screams, as the room was ripped to shreds and Itachi endured his shifting. Their family celebrated Itachi's shifting and status the next morning as it was Itachi was deemed an alpha. Elders believed that the pain one endures from their coming of age, determines their status. Alpha, beta or omega. Less pain meant that the shifter was strong enough to fight the oncoming symptoms, therefore an obvious alpha would be born. Sasuke snorted to himself at such ridiculous beliefs. Though apparently Itachi suffered the shifting and woke the next morning slightly disorientated like nothing happened._

 _Sasuke looked down at his skin, it had blotches on it where it tore and stretched, his muscles ached, he had a pounding headache and felt exhausted. Sasuke bit his cracked lips. He had to be an alpha or he was so screwed. If he wasn't, it was just another thing to disappoint his perfectionist of a father. It was bad enough that when his 16th birthday came and went, with no signs of shifting, his father looked upon him with even more displeasure in his eyes. Sasuke was almost relieved that he didn't get the change, but deep down his inner being desired his father's approval. His birthday was almost 6 months past._

 _He recalled not feeling well the night before and heading to bed. The rest of the night is flashes of his brother and pain. Sasuke groaned as he recalled the pain of broken bones, torn skin, and what felt like burning acid through every inch of his body. He was certain, nodoubt about it, but he was not alpha, but omega. And of course, Itachi already knew._

 _"Father's going to disown me," Sasuke whispered as he lowered his head._

 _"Sasuke…"_

 _"And of course you, the prodigy son, would turn out to be an alpha." Sasuke rests his forehead into his hands, "I'm nothing now, there is no reason for me to stay."_

 _"Sasuke, calm down," Itachi whispers and reaches for Sasuke's shoulder._

 _"I…I could sell myself to the hunters…make some money…to send back to the family as s-severance for having to keep-keep me for so long," Sasuke's voice cracked as he struggled to hold back his sobs. He felt sick, sick with disgust as his body, sick that his inner wolf was an omega, sick that he couldn't bring himself to be what his father wanted._

 _"Sasuke! Get a hold of yourself!" Itachi grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and gave a hard shake. "There is nothing wrong with an omega! The pack would fall apart if it was made entirely of leaders!"_

 _Sasuke continued, not feeling his brother's voice or shove. "M-maybe, I can get Orochimaru t-to harvest everyth-…" Sasuke yelped as strong hands grabbed his shoulders and yanked him back into his bed. Sasuke felt horrified as he realized he let out a yelp._

 _Itachi pulled Sasuke's face to look at him and glared hard into his little brother's eyes. "No. You. Will. NOT!" Itachi snarled in Sasuke's face, showing his teeth while holding his face steady._

 _Sasuke watched in new-found omega fear as Itachi's eye teeth began to shape into fangs and his pupils began to turn yellow. A deep growl originated from Itachi's chest and Sasuke found himself lowering his gaze, releasing a quiet whimper and exposing his throat as he tried to appear smaller unconsciously. Sasuke suddenly found himself being shoved unceremoniously off the bed and onto his ass, hitting the floor._

 _"Stop easily going into submission!" Itachi spoke sternly, "You are degrading yourself and going to end up having others walk all over you!"_

 _Sasuke glared up at Itachi and felt a twitch of anger bubble up. "You think this is easy? What the fuck!? You think I can just turn whatever this is off?! Fuck you Itachi!" Sasuke spat out, as he glowered up at his brother, gritting his teeth, breathing hard through his flaring nostrils. This wasn't fair dammit! It was bad enough he was going to have to try and hide his status from his father, but he couldn't even control his instincts in a simple act around his brother! Sasuke grabbed his hair and pulled hard, showing his frustration of the situation through his actions… -FUCK!-_

 _Sasuke felt tired, frustrated and stressed, making it extremely difficult to not be aggressive towards Itachi. It was a gift and a curse that Sasuke was never one to hold his tongue around his brother, right now it was probably a curse. Sasuke pushed his sore ass self off the floor, his eyes locked on Itachi, refusing to look away no matter how he felt. Sasuke bared his teeth and stood tall. "I am trying…trying to get this under control," Sasuke breathed out heavily, gritting his teeth to control his emotions, "so don't be thinking I'm weak, or degrading myself to lie down to be someone's first class bitch, while I work on getting myself back in control after this slight hiccup." Sasuke knew he would never be able to completely smother his omega instincts but be damned if he wouldn't push them down into the furthest pit of his mind and be damned if anyone tried to use it against him._

 _Itachi released a small smile. Sasuke's intense glare faltered a bit seeing the smile, his shoulders immediately relaxing and then question and confusion filled Sasuke's eyes._

 _"There's the stubborn strong little brother I know," Itachi beamed back at Sasuke. "Father doesn't need to know and you will not be forced into feeling like to you need to submit_ _ **ever**_ _if I have anything to say about it!" Itachi's eyes sparkled, "get ready otouto, for we are going to train you hard Sasuke, and when we are done, alphas are going to be inspired by you and want to be you."_

 _Sasuke swallowed a large lump in his throat as he watched his niisan stare and smile past him. Sasuke felt a slight glimmer of hope, as he trusted his brother immensely and he has never ever left Sasuke feeling vulnerable and alone. Sasuke sat beside Itachi, resting his head on his shoulder, mentally preparing himself for the challenge ahead._

-XOXO-

Four Years Later

Sasuke sat in a large sitting chair, wrapped in a blanket and an open book on his lap. He stared out the window, watching the wind lightly blow leaves about the air, his mind open and letting memories tumble through. This time of year always reminded him of the year of his coming of age. The pain, confusion and depression of discovering he was omega. He shuddered as he recalled thinking about selling himself off to avoid the acceptance of his werewolf status. True to his word, his brother Itachi had begun training Sasuke in suppressing his instincts and with the help of a doctor family friend, Kakashi Hatake, using a drug suppressant to mask his omega scent. Sasuke shuddered at recalling the misery he suffered the first year of his training, trying to mentally suppress his omega instincts. With Itachi hounding him every second of the day it seemed, the first year was full of angry outbursts, growling and thrashing and of course the wailing of tears to name a few. With the continuous fear of failure, Sasuke had convinced himself after the first year that an alternate route was better and had fled to Orochimaru. Sasuke shuddered at the memory. His memory of leaving his family was still fresh, but his memories during his stay with Orochimaru become grey after a few weeks. His earliest memory after his bout with Orochimaru is being strapped to a bed, his bones showing from the weight he apparently lost, weak as a newborn pup and his brother's stress lines apparent on his face as his sad eyes looked down on him. Sasuke is struck with guilt on a regular basis when he looks in a mirror and see's the permanent mark on his shoulder. A curse mark left to remind him of his decision to abandon his family and attempt the inconceivable. Sasuke unconsciously rubbed the shoulder as a lump formed in his throat, recalling those times.

The second year with Itachi was practically just as bad as the first and by the third year, Sasuke could finally push down the urge to submit to alphas with ease and felt more in control and confident with his status. He continued to take the medical suppressants to hide his scent, which worked well since his father had never found out, which could be considered surprising, but since his father was rarely home as it was, it was surprisingly easy to keep the omega scent and status hidden.

But now Sasuke was a part of Itachi's pack. When Itachi had moved out, he created his own pack and requested his father to allow Sasuke to come with him. Their father was proud and did not contest the request, provided that Sasuke continued with his studies and of course, finish top of his class. Itachi of course assured their father that Sasuke's studies would not be interrupted and Sasuke would learn the importance of leadership roles of a pack. Sasuke scoffed to himself and picked up his book. Things have been settled and positive with uni, the pack and his status, so Sasuke was sure nothing could bother him anymore. Things were finally going his way.

-XOXO-

Well, how was that? Interesting enough to continue? Happy thoughts all :)


	2. Chapter 2

A chap to meet and greet the players of the story :)

Again, special mention to the original creator of the basis of this story, Little Letters :D

Remember this a boyxboy story, yaoi and all that mushy stuff with boys. Please turn around and walk out if this type of stuff is _not for you_.

-XOXO-

Sasuke crossed a street, the night crisp, a simple reminder that autumn had arrived. He had his hands in his pockets, his light jacket zipped up to his chin and light puffs of mist coming from his nose, indicating that it was indeed chilly out. He trotted down the sidewalk to a club, that wasn't at all flashy, but had a small neon sign indicating its existence and a sandwich sign standing alone on the sidewalk. Though he was barely just 20 years of age, he had a close relationship with the owner and looked forward to a rum and coke. Sasuke smirked at his inner joke. Truth was Itachi owned the club and Sasuke worked as bartender at odd times. He was in his second year of uni and would assist at the club when needed.

Coming up to the club, he stepped up into the entrance way and headed to the shadowed door directly across from the club's main door. Sasuke gave a sharp quick double knock and stood in front of the peep hole. The door opened and a tall broad shouldered man towered over Sasuke while looking down at him. Sasuke looked up, nodded and brushed passed the man when he stepped aside. Sasuke heard a gruff grunt as he stepped past. Kisame, a large muscular man, covered in blue ink tattoos that even went up his neck to his face, at first glance, one would instantly think, _Alpha._ But many were surprised, the man was a beta. His teeth appeared more pointed than any other human and if you saw him from afar, one would wonder if his skin was blue. Other pack members gave him nicknames of fishy, blue, any water type nickname, and Sasuke waited for Kisame to lose it on someone someday. But, that hasn't happened, yet.

Sasuke made his way down the stairs, hearing and feeling the vibrations from the music, the subtle lighting and grinding bodies on the dance floor. Itachi's club wasn't the average club. Sure it had the norm; alcoholic drinks of any colour, grinding bodies on the dance floor to club mixes and the random single guy or girl looking for a hook up. The difference was this club catered to werewolf. Werewolves were social creatures, often came in their groups to the club to chat, banter and just relax with other packs. The odd time there was a single werewolf, who was either a loner or an outcast, at times looking for a pack to join. Itachi's pack were a close-knit group, rarely taking on loner wolves, it was a very rare event for that to happen as Itachi was cautious about keeping the knowledge of the underworld quiet. There are people out there that hunt underworld creatures for experiments and to sell. Sasuke shuddered thinking about it.

Prior to what you think, there were humans allowed in the club but only if they were aware of werewolves. This day in age, it wasn't uncommon for half breed werewolves to exist. Of course, there are other underworld creatures out there, but most races kept to their own kind and created their own clubs, businesses, whatever that catered to their race. Kisame's job, was to screen out who can and cannot come in. The other bouncer was Hidan, another pack family member. Hidan was not as bulk as Kisame, but just as tall and intimidating, and was also a beta with silver hair and an obsession for his religion. Kisame and Hidan shared the responsibilities of screening the customers and watching over the patrons as security.

Sasuke made his way around the grinding bodies to one of the bars that was tucked away at the back wall. Itachi was working on several drinks for a woman as Sasuke stepped in behind him, grabbing himself a glass with ice and began making himself a drink. Sasuke noted that the woman was certainly eyeing his brother at all angles. He smirked to himself and he noted that Itachi was concentrating on the drinks and not responding to the woman's obvious glances. Sasuke rolled his eyes and sipped his drink. This was an every night occurrence, it never ends.

"Good evening Sasuke," Itachi said after collecting the cash from the woman who received the drinks. Itachi did not notice the flirtatious smile and running eyes the woman gave Itachi before turning to leave with her drinks. She did leave a generous tip though.

"Order up un!" A long blond haired omega set down a serving tray on the bar, handing Itachi a list of drinks and then resting his head on his hand. He blew a breath up, making his bangs flutter up into the air before settling back on his forehead. His light blue eyes looked over at Sasuke. "Hey un, how's your day been?" the omega threw Sasuke a small smile.

"Hn," Sasuke responded while taking a sip of his drink.

"Articulate as always," the omega responded with a sarcastic tone. "Tachi, I'm up 4 more un, try and keep up!" He gave a wink and smile as Itachi placed all the prepared drinks on the tray. Itachi smirked.

Itachi leaned over the bar, bending his finger at the omega to come closer. The long haired omega leaned his face closer to Itachi and tilted his head. "I love it when your confident," Itachi's husky voice purred out as he lifted the omega's chin with his two fingers to lock his black eyes onto light blue. The omega shivered and licked his lips. Itachi smirked again and released his hold on the omega. "Get back to work Deidra," he said with a chuckle in his voice. Deidra blinked, smiled and took his tray of drinks onto the floor but not before giving a bit of a wiggle to his hips that were hugged by tight black jeans. Itachi raised his eyebrow, watching the bouncing behind of the long haired blond and licked his lips.

Sasuke took a swallow of his drink and eyed Itachi. "Good evening to you too Itachi," he responded and Sasuke decided he didn't want to know what the nightly bet was this time. Those two were always coming up with games for the night and Sasuke knew, unfortunately, the winner chose what the other would do, that was often some sort of sexual act, favor, sexy cosplay, god knows what. Sasuke had the most unfortunate luck when he would stumble across them when it was time for…payment. Sasuke closed his eyes and took a big swallow this time. He shuddered, remembering those…unfortunate accidents.

"Excuse me!" a blond man called out from the other side of the bar, trying to get the brothers attention. Neither brother acknowledged him.

"How was your day Sasuke?" Itachi asked as he went to grab some glasses from beneath the bar top.

"Hn. About as entertaining as church," Sasuke snorted out a chuckle.

"Hey, bartender, service here?!"

Sasuke grasped his glass tight as he heard the annoying bellowing behind him. He jerked his head to the side, eyes glaring at the tussled blond haired man who was sitting on the other side of the bar. Sasuke curled his lip up showing off his canines, letting out a deep growl that clearly stated his aggravation at the interruption. "Wow! Uhh…" The blond scratched the back of his neck and gave a wide grin at Sasuke, "sorry bout that…ummm I-I didn't realize…umm…" Sasuke glanced over the blond. He was wearing a white tank with an opened button up long sleep shirt, the arms rolled up to the elbows. The tank was taunt against the chest, that did nothing to hide the lines of an apparent muscular chest. The fluffy straw coloured hair was glimmering and full of life and blue eyes shone through the dimly lit area. A feeling rustled deep within him, a small quiver that felt as if a feeling was awaking, a feeling of interest, Sasuke swore he could feel his wolf's ears perk. Sasuke pushed those feelings back down.

Sasuke's eyes flickered red while staring at the blond. "To much for you? Or not enough for you?" Sasuke spit out as the blond looked back at him, mouth agape and eyes wide. Sasuke felt the emotion of annoyance rustle deep in his subconscious. His inner wolf was annoyed and he could almost feel it huffing and snorting, pawing at the mental walls, while being in the presence of an obvious arrogant self-centered blond alpha. Sasuke agreed with the annoyance and embraced it.

"You know what? Don't answer that, just place an order to someone else, my shift hasn't started yet." Sasuke then lifted his glass to his lips, took another swallow and added, "and realize that this place doesn't cater to overinflated self-absorbed pompous ass'." He then turned and walked away, finishing off his drink. He decided to head to the dance floor and do some dancing with whomever to make him feel better. He didn't really care. He had a bad day and a swelled head ego induced blond alpha hadn't helped the situation. Naruto's eyes followed Sasuke leave for the dance floor.

"Damn!" he muttered to himself and sniffed the air where Sasuke had stood. Who was this sexy strong...alpha? Naruto could smell the anger coming off him but noted the slight scent of alpha coming off the light skinned black haired beauty with spitfire and claws! He needed to follow and learn more! Naruto made to get up, but a hand touching his arm had him look back to see Itachi.

"I wouldn't try it Naruto. You haven't made the greatest impression on my little brother, I suggest you leave him be," Itachi spoke to Naruto with a hint of a warning in his tone. Naruto sat back down, slightly sticking out his bottom lip in a pout. Itachi stood up, preparing a drink for Naruto. "He isn't in a great frame of mind right now. With regular stress from university, working and questionable relationship status, I prefer that he stay focused on school and being single." Itachi nodded his head towards Sasuke who was currently grinding against some random human on the dance floor.

Naruto followed Itachi's line of site. He grumbled as he watched the sexy black eyed alpha beauty wiggle and move about the dance floor with random people. Naruto could feel his inner wolf getting anxious watching the black eyed beauty. His wolf wanted to know about that alpha and Naruto was up for the challenge. He grabbed his drink and sipped, eyes still watching the dance floor. Naruto put down his drink and glanced to see if Itachi was watching. As luck would have it, Itachi was assisting customers at the other end of the bar and Naruto decided to make his way to the dance floor. His inner wolf huffed with excitement, the feeling of the chase was on and Naruto was ready to head straight forward and take the challenge.

Naruto kept his eyes on the wiggling and grinding dark haired beauty, his hips swaying to the beat, his arms close to his body but still reaching out now and then to swing with his hips. Naruto watched as those hips circled and twitched, the lean body was seductive as it rotated in a dance that was sure to attract the attention around him. Dark hair bounced about as the head kept time with the beat. Naruto slid into the surrounding bubble of the raven and began to move his own hips and shoulders. The beat had bodies practically bouncing in every direction which enabled Naruto to be able to slide between people until he was dancing in front of his destination. Naruto was absorbing the fascinating marvel in front of him. His light milky skinned colour, sharp lines highlighting his face and neck and he knew that there had to be a lean body underneath the club's uniform that he wore. The club lights sparkled in several colours off the blue black hair, creating a hypnotizing display. Naruto could almost taste the scent this stunning alpha emanated, but he could also sense the frustration and anger coming from him. Coal orbs opened during the seductive dance and opened wide at the sight of seeing Naruto in front of him. Those eyes were exquisite and Naruto could not pull away from the deep dark depths, even as they narrowed and gave him a fierce glare. Those eyes quickly turned away as the body followed to leave the dance floor. Naruto stopped dancing, surprised this stunning creature was running from him. The chase was on, his inner wolf stirred emotions of desire and lust. Naruto grinned a feral grin and followed the raven haired man.

Sasuke was now fuming. He stomped his way back to the bar his brother was attending, deciding he needed a drink or three. 'How dare that pompous ass! Couldn't just fuck off!' Sasuke hated arrogant self-centered think they are all high and mighty alphas. "Yo Sasuke," a voice called out and Sasuke turned to see that it was Kakashi Hatake, friend of his brother's pack and professor from the college of medicine. Kakashi's grey hair shone in the flicking of lights, his black mask defined the lines of his lips that were obviously smiling. Sasuke just glared at him and went about to make himself a strong drink.

"Sasuke huh? Good strong name there," Naruto spoke out when he came up to the bar and sat beside Kakashi. "Hey old man, thanks for the tip!" Naruto winked at Sasuke when their eyes met briefly.

"Good to see you Naruto, how are things?" Kakashi asked Naruto, his eyes twinkled looking between Naruto and Sasuke.

"Better now that I have a name," Naruto chuckled, "Sasuke, can I get a rum and coke?"

Sasuke tilted his head and glanced slightly in Naruto's direction. Sasuke promptly turned his head, swallowed his drink and left the bar.

"Damn, that's cold," Kakashi chuckled.

"Leave it Naruto," Itachi came to Naruto, placing a drink on the bar and staring down on hard.

Naruto smiled nervously, brought his hands up, shaking them back and forth in front of his body, "Okay okay, peace Itachi!" Naruto made to get up, still smiling, "I'll be right back, gotta head'r to the little boy's room." Naruto popped up off his stool and hustled off towards the washrooms at the back of the bar.

Itachi sighed and began wiping up around the counter. Kakashi raised his brow at Itachi. Itachi stood up and crossed his arms, looking at Kakashi, "What?"

Kakashi turned his head to see if Naruto was gone. He looked at Itachi. "Might not be such a bad idea you know," he grinned and grabbed his drink.

Itachi frowned at Kakashi, "NO," and went back to wiping down the bar top.

"Mah, Itachi, what's the matter? He would be good for Sasuke," Kakashi said as he scratched the back of his neck and reached for his drink.

Itachi stopped mid swipe of his rag on the counter. "He's not ready. After all the shit that he has gone through, what the pack had to do, the bullshit relationship he tried to have with Sai…and," Itachi clenched his teeth together, "and he still is fighting Kakashi…no matter how me, or the pack insist, he still fights!" Itachi slammed his hand onto the top of the bar, his hand fisting the cloth.

Kakashi flinched. He understood the fight that Sasuke put up and the situations that had happened, but, "what happed with Sai? I thought he was long gone."

Itachi glanced over at his little brother who was back on the dance floor and swallowed his growl, "Even though I advised him against it, he went off again and Sai…well, it just happened again."

"You know, I think Sasuke would do well with a change in his…daily routine." Kakashi hesitated, thinking hard about his next line, "you know Naruto isn't like most alpha's…he is a good strong leader of his pack…"

"Kakashi, you know that Sasuke is no where ready for that _type_ of thing yet…" Itachi spit out between his clenched teeth and glared at Kakashi.

"Yeah, who says that they are going to get it on like that?! Look, Itachi, I'm just saying, with Sasuke at least seeing there are others out there, that are not out to get him, maybe it will help him move on with healthier decisions and I think Naruto is a good choice to help for that." Kakashi hoped this worked, he really took a liking to Sasuke when he came of age. Being a long time friend of the family, Kakashi assisted the two brothers when they sought him out, understanding the hierarchy and sometimes incredible futile demands that are put on the members of the Uchiha family. Kakashi had seen too many werewolves go mad with power, sickness and depression just from family dynamics. "You know, Naruto doesn't treat any status any different. I can attest to that, as I have been involved with his pack for the past few years. Naruto may be young, but he is still a strong and respected leader of his pack."

Itachi slightly drooped his shoulders, closing his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. His stress appeared to heighten just in his conversation with Kakashi.

"Hey, you okay there Itachi?" Naruto called out as he sat back beside Kakashi.

Itachi shook his head and took a deep breath. "No different than earlier," he replied and glanced out at the dance floor again, watching Sasuke lean against some random man who appeared to enjoy the attention Sasuke was giving him. He turned his head when he heard a low growl, and found Naruto staring at his otouto on the dance floor. Naruto's lips were curled up slightly, showing his canines, his hand was clenching his drink a little too tight and that glare looked as if it could vaporize anyone instantly who got in the way of it.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto and then shoved his shoulder. "What's got your eye there Naruto?" Kakashi smiled under his mask at him.

Naruto didn't look away from the dance floor as he replied. "Sasuke…God! I don't understand why he doesn't talk to me!" Naruto put his elbow on the table and slapped his hand on his cheek, resting his head while looking longfully at Sasuke grinding against someone else, yet again.

Kakashi stole a glance at Itachi and winked. Itachi's lip twitched up into a snarl like look as he shook his head and mouthed the word NO at Kakashi. Kakashi rolled his eyes and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Well, this may be fate telling you something," Kakashi spoke at Naruto, glancing at Sasuke briefly, "if Sasuke is giving you the cold shoulder now, it's best to move on and looks elsewhere ne? Perhaps you two are really just not compatible." Kakashi shifted to face the dance floor, drink in hand, his eyes moving around the room, feigning an interest in a group of women in the far corner. Naruto didn't see how Kakashi's masked creased a little due to the smile behind it. Kakashi hoped he was reading the situation right and if he is then…

"DAMMIT! That's not how it is!" Naruto bellowed out while slapping a palm on the bar top. "We just got off on the wrong foot, I acted like a prick and I'll wait till he calms down to try again!" Naruto sat up straighter, grabbed his drink and took a large gulp. He grinned at Itachi who was leaning against the back of the bar momentarily. "I'll see ya later Itachi, it's getting late and work tomorrow, but I'll be back!" Naruto gave Itachi a two fingered salute, glanced at Sasuke briefly still on the dance floor and then headed for the exit.

Kakashi chuckled as he watched Naruto make his way out, he glanced up at Itachi, mirth dancing in his eyes. Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose again and let out at sigh. Kakashi held up his drink, "Cheers Itachi, here's to fate." Itachi huffed and turned to head to the other end of the bar to serve customers while Kakashi grinned and enjoyed his drink.

-XOXO-

Black orbs fluttered open late the next morning. A lump moved about the bed, rustling could be heard underneath a dark blue comforter. A howled type yawn broke through the quiet room as toes peeked out from under the bedding and palms stretched out from the other end. Midnight eyes peeked out from under the comforter to stare at the digital clock blazing red numbers. Hands flipped the comforter down off blue black locks, spayed in several directions, as hands came up to rub the midnight coloured eyes. Sasuke licked his lips and glanced at the time again. Almost noon. His stomach gave a small grumble, reminding him that he should eat. Sasuke sat up and stretched his arms every which way, feeling the cricks and pops of joints. He rolled his neck about, enjoying the stretching feeling and popped his knuckles. Sasuke felt the urge to shake his body about to loosen it up and dare he say, fluff? Sasuke shook those feelings down. It must be those damn wolf instincts making him feel this way. He snorted and made way to hop up and get into the shower.

Stepping out of the shower and feeling completely refreshed, Sasuke grabbed jeans and a tee, no need to dress up, scooped up his phone and headed downstairs for a food.

Stepping into the modest sized kitchen, Sasuke placed his phone on the island and headed for the fridge to examine what could be put together or if anything was left from this morning. It appeared that there wasn't much to choose from in the fridge, thus Sasuke pulled out some eggs and veggies to prepare himself an omelet.

"Morning otouto," spoke a deep voice and Sasuke heard feet shuffling into the kitchen. Itachi placed a newspaper on the island and headed for the coffee pot.

"Morning niisan," Sasuke responded automatically, while still chopping up red peppers. Sasuke heard his phone buzz on the island. He paused and looked behind him, only to roll his eyes and continue chopping veggies.

"Someone of no importance otouto?" Itachi asked with a slight tease in his voice.

Sasuke snorted in response.

He glanced at Sasuke, his precious little brother, who has many demons to get over, and slowly he is. Itachi shook his head, he will watch his otouto closely should Naruto ' _pup'_ get out of hand. "Any plans this afternoon otouto?" Itachi asked as he took a seat on a bar stool, sipping his coffee and laying out the newspaper.

"Still working on thesis, few more pages to type up, other than that, no," Sasuke responded blandly, as he cracked some eggs into a bowl.

"Coffee…coffee…" a drowsy sounding voice floated through the room, "need coffee…" Deidra shuffled into the kitchen, hair ruffled and pulled into a messy top bun, eyes half open and gray, sporting a fluffy white with red trim housecoat, soft cotton pajama bottoms and slippers. Deidra held out an arm, mocking a stretch towards the coffee pot and started groaning like the walking dead.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the display and began scrambling his eggs in the bowl. "Must you be so dramatic Deidra?" he scoffed at him.

Deidra flipped Sasuke the bird and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Play nice kids," Itachi stated with a small smile. He eyed Deidra up and down and licked his lips as Deidra sat by Itachi. Deidra rubbed his shoulder against Itachi and purred. "Good morning luv," Itachi responded to Deidra while reading the paper.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the display and poured his eggs into the awaiting frying pan. Deidra was part of Itachi's pack as well as his mate. Itachi had come across Deidra a couple years back while working the club. Deidra was being harassed by some alphas and betas behind the club one night, thankfully Itachi was checking the perimeter before heading home for the night. Sasuke wasn't sure how Itachi knew that Deidra was his mate, but truthfully he wasn't interested. Itachi mentioned inner wolf biology and such, but Sasuke just waved it off. Sasuke had no time for such trivial matters with his constant training to ensure his omega status wasn't discovered. Sasuke felt a shimmer of something he couldn't identify, seep into his thoughts. Sasuke felt his inner wolf as it appeared to be reaching out, caressing some unidentified feelings Sasuke couldn't name. Sasuke shook his head and mentally pushed his inner wolf down. He still could not fully accept the wolf within him, he accepted the fact it was there, but he sure as hell didn't have to embrace it like an old friend! Sasuke's eyes pinched closed and he clenched his teeth as the wolf mentally fought but Sasuke wouldn't budge, forcing his will to get the wolf back down into the recesses of his mind. He quickly wiped away the trickle of blood from his nose, so his brother wouldn't see and continued with his omelet.

-X0X0-

Well thats it for now folks, just a touch on whats to come, have I perked interest?


	3. Chapter 3

Well, this chap was certainly a challenge for me.  
I was out of the country for a week and missed working on it, so when I got back I had some friendly nudges from my amazing friendly authors in getting this chapter done. Their encouragement and ideas are a treasure I hold deep.

Not much else to say, but thanks ya'll who wanna leave a comment, flame or whatever floats your boat :)

-XOXOX0-

Later that afternoon, Sasuke sat at his desk, typing away on his laptop and drilling away at his school work. His phone buzzed on the desk and Sasuke glanced over to notice it was an unknown number. He frowned. Sasuke only had a select few numbers on his phone and the majority were from his brother's pack. _There could be only one person…_ Sasuke ignored the phone, he should probably get his number changed again and rubbed his forehead. What a hassle. He ran his hands through his hair and leaned back in his chair, head tilted back, eyes closed. _Fucking hell, he didn't need this right now._ He shuffled through his books and papers and noted that he needed to make a trip to the library. The fresh air will do him good, he grabbed his backpack and headed out.

Sasuke's form sat at a large wooden table alone, in a corner of the vast city library, several books open around him, his hand writing notes continuously. His eyes skimming the books around him as he concentrated, and he was startled as a pair of arms slicked across his shoulders to his front, a chest hit his back and someone breathing near his ear. Sasuke's body froze, "Jee-zuz!" whispered Sasuke harshly through clenched teeth, keeping his voice down the best he could.

"Nice to see you Sasuke," the voice whispered in his ear, the arms remained looped around Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke clenched his hand around his pen, flared his nostrils, as he listened to the voice near his ear. His emotions began to whirl and he felt feelings of disgust, anger, and violation. " .Me," Sasuke growled, he could feel his eyes flicker and the hairs on his skin stand up.

"Tsk, I missed you too," the voice purred while rubbing against Sasuke's face and giving him a tighter squeeze. "You weren't answering my calls or texts, I got worried."

Sasuke ground his teeth together hard as he stood up quickly, moving his arms through the other's to force them off his body. The chair flew back into the intruder, and Sasuke felt some satisfaction as he heard the person behind him grunt out in displeasure. He spun around, locking his dark orbs on another set. "I thought I made it clear, Sai, _piss off!_ " Sasuke hissed at the man.

Sai put his hands on his hips and smirked at Sasuke. "Mmm… that's how I like you baby. You still remember what I like," he licked lips while moving his eyes up and down Sasuke's form. "Are you feeling better? You left pretty upset last time we met up, I certainly gave you enough time to cool off." Sai moved his one hand and slid it up Sasuke's forearm to his neck and moving his other hand to Sasuke's hip.

Sasuke felt sick. Sai touching him had bile rising in his throat. Sasuke felt his inner wolf try and submit to the overwhelming alpha touching him, trying to force Sasuke to become a mindless pup who was rolling over for any tummy rub. Sasuke fought those mental feelings hard, feeling the pain between his eyes as he fought his instincts. Sasuke's hands clenched by his sides and he could feel the tremors going down his arms. _No! He will not make me submit, he has no right!_ Sasuke tilted his chin up, sparks in his eyes as he stared Sai down and pushed against Sai's chest, hard enough to get him the hell away from him.

Sai stumbled back a few steps, balancing himself and then slowly lifted his eyes to face Sasuke. His lips snarled up slightly, showing off his canines, but his eyes held a challenge as he focused hard on Sasuke's eyes. Sai's growl was deep and low, a surefire threat to any who defied an alpha. As he straightened himself up and moved forward towards Sasuke, he didn't get far, when another deep sounding growl was heard coming from a muscular blond haired alpha who was now standing directly in front of Sasuke. Sai stood tall, not showing any weakness towards the interfering alpha, as he stared directly into the yellow gleaming eyes of the blond alpha and snorted.

"Take a hint, you aren't wanted," the blond alpha snarled through his teeth, his body tense, hands clenched into fists, his body positioned ready to strike.

Sai snuffed out a huff and crossed his arms. He leaned slightly to look at Sasuke behind the blond and gave Sasuke a fake smile. "Sasuke, I do believe we should continue our chat, in private," Sai glanced at the blond and nodded his head at Sasuke to suggest leaving.

The blond stepped closer to Sai, their chests millimeters from each other. The blond snarled, "you should leave, now! Before you regret not taking some _friendly_ advice."

"Excuse me…" Sasuke spoke as he side stepped the blond. "I don't have anything to do with either of you, so _excuse me,_ " Sasuke continued speaking as he began to close up the books and shoved his papers into his bag. "Take your cock measuring contest somewhere else, I have no interest in what you two are doing here."

"I am checking up on what's mine and ensuring loyalties are still in place," Sai's tone made no mistake on his status and he tilted his chin and eyes down on Sasuke.

"And you need to take a hint, you ass," the blond huffed through his teeth, glaring at Sai, "Sasuke here made himself perfectly clear."

Sai raised a brow at the blond, "and who are you to interfere? This is none of your business. What business I have with my significant other, is not your concern." Sai's voice grumbled with annoyance, eyes flickered with red and his teeth pointed out. An essence of warning and possession wafted in the air off Sai.

"Names Uzumaki Naruto, who doesn't think significant others who tells the other too piss off aren't much of an item!" He stepped forward towards Sai, showing off his elongated canines and releasing a warning scent, this other alpha was seriously pissing him off!

Both alphas pushed their chests at each other, both growling lowly and eyes flashing at each other. Sasuke was heading for the door before either noticed.

Naruto was first to turn heel, "Hey! Come on…Sasuke…wait!" he called out in a loud whisper, the other alpha already forgotten.

Sai watched the blond chase Sasuke and inhaled deeply. He smirked as he slowly made his way to the exit.

Sasuke speed walked outside to the sidewalk. He _did not_ want to deal with any arrogant self-centered alphas, one was bad enough but _two?!_ He heard steps coming up quickly behind him and he mentally groaned. "Sasukeeee!" Sasuke hurried his steps as he heard the lungful howling whining sound coming from behind him.

Naruto quickened his pace, "Hold up Sasuke, come on, just wait! Hold it!" Naruto dodged random persons on the sidewalk, catching up to Sasuke and slowing to a trot beside him. "Hey…"

Sasuke said nothing and kept walking.

"Sasuke _wait!"_ Naruto put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder in hopes to stop the man or at least slow him down. He didn't expect Sasuke to quickly slap his hand away and keep walking. Naruto was suddenly intrigued. This superior alpha was amazing that his inner wolf started panting and pawing at the walls, wanting to practically go for a tumble with this dark haired alpha. Naruto inhaled deeply, smelling the anger radiating off of Sasuke, as well as an earthy tone with a hint of the alpha's scent. Naruto felt lighter than air, as his mind radiated with eagerness, his feelings practically rolling around in the scent that was Sasuke. A smile grew on Naruto's face as he continued to scent the air, hesitating while Sasuke was getting away. His eyes suddenly focused and saw that Sasuke was practically a block away already! "Shit!" Naruto moaned to himself but then smiled, at least he knew where to find him! Naruto began walking off in the other direction, he had to hatch a plan and he knew who to see.

Sai watched the quick exchange then headed for a car parked in the alley way and hopped in. As he stuck the key in the ignition, he glanced in the rear view mirror to another set of eyes in the back. "It's going to plan, we will be ready on time." Dull yellow eyes bore at Sai through the mirror, nothing was said as Sai drove off.

-XOXO-

Sasuke slammed open the door to the house, kicked off his shoes and stomped off to his room. He ground his teeth and snorted as he made up the stairs to his room and tossed his bag on his bed. ' _Of all the nerve!'_ He ran his hands through his dark locks, dragged his hands down his face and let out a snarl. _'How dare they!…how could they!…'_ He began to huff and pant as he thought more about it, the irritation in his mind was beginning to rise higher, clouding all senses in anger and he embraced it. ' _The audacity! Of the most irritating…fuckin…'_ Sasuke stopped pacing and he hunched over, hands gripping his knees, he ground his teeth and his eyes flickered around. ' _Stupid…Idiotic bone headed…egotistic self-centered…'_ His skin began to burn and he welcomed the feeling. The rage wanted to release his wolf yet his wolf demanded vengeance of being denied submission and forced into a void. The pressure in his skull screamed and wailed against the walls. Small drops of blood began to release from Sasuke's nose but he did not notice. His wolf demanded submission, Sasuke refused, he wanted to relish in the anger, the anger he could control…his security blanket. His eyes were squinted shut as he felt the anger wash through his body as he recalled the alpha interaction.

 ***knock knock***

Sasuke whipped his head to the sound at the door as a deep rumbled growl was released from his lips. He felt the outrage and fury tingling through his arms, his inner wolf snapping at the air and clawing at his mental walls, demanding release. His legs tremored with rage. ' _Fucking assholes! I wanna… just…just…'_ His nails began to lengthen into points, he could feel his neck stretching with hackles rising and he welcomed it. The rage fogging his mind as he recalled the pheromones reeking off the two alpha's at the library. _'Fucking… I will not submit! I will not submit!'_ He screamed at his inner wolf as he grabbed his hair, pulling his head back and letting out a cry as he felt his skin rippling, his wolf wanting to release. He wanted the anger to remain, where he felt safe and secure. The overwhelming submission that his wolf demanded rose high, pushing hard attempting to overwhelm the anger.

 **"Sasuke calm down!"** A booming voice cracked through his turmoil crusted mind, followed by a long low growl that echoed through his body and Sasuke instantly felt his body tremble and fall to his knees. His fingers became normal, his skin tightened up and his face fell to look at the floor. Sasuke panted as sweat drops fell from his forehead to the floor, along with a couple drops of blood from his nose, but his body remained on his knees, his head bowed, and a quiet whine escaped his lips. Sasuke felt the arms of his alpha coming around him, he could smell his calming and protective scent and Sasuke rested his forehead against the strong alpha's chest. His body continued to tremble, his breathing came in quick pants as his heart rate tried to slow. His wolf instantly calmed the raging inside his mind as Sasuke submitted to his alpha. Itachi ran his hand through Sasuke's hair, "shhh…otouto, shhh…" Itachi spoke softly to Sasuke as he held him securely in his arms, releasing his calming scent to surround his little brother.

Sasuke rested his head, his body tremors slowly succumbing to the calming and protective scent of his brother. Sasuke's breathing soon steadied and he found himself suddenly exhausted both physically and mentally. He allowed his body to relax as he felt secure and safe within the cocoon of his alpha and he slipped into sleep. Itachi felt his brother's body relax into sleep and he made his way up, cradling Sasuke in his arms and taking him to the bed.

"Okay un?" Deidra whispered as he came up behind Itachi who was settling Sasuke under the covers, "I could feel you from downstairs."

"Hn."

"That was a sudden action. We haven't seen him that upset since…well, you know un," Deidra rubbed a hand up Itachi's back while giving Sasuke a soft look. "What got him that riled up? Do you know un?"

"No, there was no time, he was already accelerating when I got up to the room. Does anyone know where he went earlier?" Itachi ran a hand through Sasuke's hair a few times to ensure he was asleep and then made his way to the door.

Deidra shook his head, following Itachi to the door. "He had only mentioned working on his paper, I didn't even know he had left the house."

Itachi furrowed his brows and tightened his lips as they walked down the stairs. "I think we should plan a trip soon." Deidra nodded his head in agreement, "I'll let the pack know."

-XOXO-

Naruto hopped up the steps to the cabin style porch and door, making his way into the home. "I'm back!" he bellowed into the western decorated home. He tossed his shoes off and headed for the kitchen. "Oi! Anybody home?" He headed straight for the fridge, hearing a call from the other side of the house.

"'Sup boss?!" A brunette ruffled haired man came strolling into the kitchen, grabbing a can of pop and plopping down at the table.

"Kiba! Where's everyone else?" Naruto asked as he grabbed various food articles out of the fridge, placing them on the counter.

"Out checking the perimeter and some at work. Same old same old," Kiba answered while cracking open his can and taking a big swallow. "How was class today?"

"Was awesome! Totally ran into Sasuke today! I had no idea that he attends the same uni," Naruto happily chatted while slapping a sandwich together.

"The one from the club?" Kiba asked, eyebrows perking up at Naruto.

"Yup!" Naruto nodded his head while taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Well…details man. Did he instantly fall for your charms and is now mated to you for life?" Kiba chuckled as he attempted to reach for Naruto's sandwich.

Naruto held his sandwich up, "Dude! Make your own! And no, he kinda…" Naruto brought his hands down and tapped on his sandwich, as he appeared to be thinking of his next words, "didn't want to talk to me." Naruto then just stared at his sandwich.

"Burn," Kiba stopped trying to take his sandwich and gave some comforting pats on Naruto's shoulder. "Then what's next? Moving on then?"

"No… never!" Naruto gave his fist a pump, which happened to have his sandwich, in turn ended up having pieces flying across the kitchen. "Sasuke is so… so…" Naruto began, his eyes stared into empty space, a slight smile on his face, his arm holding a sandwich in the air as Naruto let out a content sigh.

Kiba snapped his fingers at Naruto, "earth to Naruto, hey…Naruto!" he snapped again at Naruto's nose.

Naruto blinked and focused on Kiba, "oh sorry, yeah," he chuckled. "Sasuke is strong headed, smart, fucking smoking hot and his aura is just so compatible with mine. My wolf agrees, I can feel the desire, the need! I can't explain it Kibs, when I see him, I just need be around him! Even though he smells angry like _all the time_ , I see more than that…like you know? Can it be any more perfect?" Naruto's voice got quieter and quieter as his eyes appeared to glaze over and stare into space. Kiba swore he could see sparkles in Naruto's eyes that day.

"I need to ask Sasuke for a date…but how?" Naruto looked at Kiba as if he had all the answers.

Kiba shrugged his shoulders, "probably just ask him dude." Kiba grabbed Naruto's sandwich and sprinted out of the kitchen.

Naruto was deep in thought to not notice his now missing sandwich. He slumped onto the kitchen chair, resting his chin on his fist. ' _He works at the club, I can meet up with him there. What's his work hours? I dunno…perhaps I can ask Itachi? Kakashi may know something too…hmmm…'_

Sakura strolled into the kitchen and sat down across from Naruto, staring at Naruto's face as he stared at nothing in particular. _'Apparently deep in thought eh?'_ Sakura chuckled to herself as she watched Naruto's eyebrows scrunch up and down and his lips smack now and then. Sakura, beta and friend for several years to Naruto and now member of Naruto's pack, her eyes softened as she watched Naruto apparently _plan world peace_ since he had not seen Sakura enter the kitchen. _'Must be serious,'_ she thought and cleared her throat to get Naruto's attention.

Naruto blinked and sat up quickly as he focused on Sakura. "Hey! When did you get here?" Naruto asked with enthusiasm, waving his arms out to show his surprise.

Sakura giggled. "Just now Naruto. What's got you thinking so deep?" she asked sweetly, tilting her head at him as she rested her chin on a fist.

"Trying to ask an incredibly sexy strong alpha on a date!" Naruto grinned and clasped his hands together, "help me out Sakura please?" Naruto held his hands together in a prayer like fashion and fluttered his eyelashes at her. He looked sickenly cute.

"Oh for goodness sakes Naruto! Just ask this _incredibly sexy strong alpha_ out when you see em!" she mocked his voice when stating the sexy alpha bit. She waved her arms around emphasizing her words of wisdom. "Quit making it harder than it actually is!"

"But Sakura, he's so…so…"

"No excuses! Just be the strong confident alpha I know _you are_ and ask! Honestly, why are alpha's so insecure about these things?!" Sakura huffed out, crossing her arms and blowing her bangs out of her face. She rolled her eyes as she watched Naruto stick out his lip in a pout. She let out a big sigh and looked at Naruto. "Look Naruto, what does he like? What interests him? What do you know about this alpha? Have you even thought about if this alpha could be someone worth courting? Have you studied up on courting rituals at all?" Sakura gave a pointed glare at Naruto.

Naruto opened his brilliant blues wide at Sakura, his mouth open in an _o_ like fashion. He straightened up his posture, brought a finger to his chin and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Sakura chuckled. _'I can almost see that lightbulb flashing over top of his head.'_ She sighed quietly with a small smile. Naruto had been her close friend for years now, was her biggest supporter when she started her nursing program and working under Naruto's grandmother, a well known and respected doctor of werewolf biology and the previous alpha leader of the pack. She had been with him since they were _pups_ , growing up together in a pack as pack siblings and they had seen a lot of things together. She was with him when his parents died, he was with her when her own parents were near death. Sakura shuddered at the memories. Wars between species were not to be taken lightly, and she shook her head to not go down memory lane of those darker times. Times were now more peaceful, and she was thankful to still have a strong bond with Naruto.

"I know!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, bringing Sakura out of her musings. "I'll just have to observe him in his element!" Naruto gleamed his brilliant smile and made to stand up.

"What have you planned?" Sakura asked, smiling at her long time friend.

"Well, I know where he works, I know his brother and apparently Kakashi is familiar with him, so I'll ask em what he likes!" Naruto stood and headed for the door, "starting tonight! Thanks Sakura!" Naruto bound over to Sakura and gave her a firm hug.

Sakura let out a giggle. "Okay Casanova, go get em!" and she slapped him on the back and pushed him out the door, "go get ready!" She smiled as she watched Naruto head out of the kitchen, _'I certainly hope this alpha is worthy of you,'_ she thought to herself as she made her way to the fridge to get a start on dinner.

-XOXO-

The club was hopping, the music was thumping a continuous beat, the lights were flickering in time and bodies filled the dance floor with jumping and hip twisting patrons. A normal weekend night. Sasuke held his position behind one of the bars, serving customers and pouring drinks with practiced ease. His face was sober, his dark eyes hard and lips hard pressed. He was a marbled beauty to those who laid eyes on him, a quiet mass of elegance that persons often tried to reach out and caress, but Sasuke was sure to ensure no one could reach in with his cold blast of indifference. And Sasuke preferred it that way. He ignored the flirtatious glances and body language given by the customers and continued with the orders. After he woke from his episode, he did not speak to anyone. Annoyed beyond belief with his inner wolf demanding to submit the pretentious alphas that appeared in the library that afternoon left him furious. Furious with his wolf and livid with his apparent weakness in his inability to keep his instincts at bay. He was tempted to double his dose of medications that suppressed his omega scent status but was quickly reminded of the side effects should he decide to do that. It's not like he hadn't done it before, and let's just say, he learned his lesson. He would just have to double his mental efforts in ensuring his omega instincts stay buried, along with his _'quick to submit'_ wolf. He huffed at himself, _'I'm not fucking weak!'_ as he felt his wolf paw at his mental walls.

Itachi glanced at his brother quickly from the other side of the bar, watching for any signs of fatigue. He frowned to himself, as he watched his otouto slip into a silent void of himself, again. Itachi knew this was Sasuke's defense mechanism and he hoped it wouldn't last long. He sighed as he made drinks for customers, forcing a small smile for a blushing woman that fluttered her eyes at him. The night was busy, thank goodness, _'should keep Sasuke's mind busy'_ , he told himself. He saw in his peripheral vision a blond haired individual slip into a seat at his end of the bar. Itachi rolled his eyes, _'give me strength'_ and let out a silent sigh as he turned to look straight at Naruto.

"Hey Itachi!" Naruto exclaimed while giving a brilliant smile.

"Naruto," Itachi responded flatly, "the usual?" Itachi asked as he began grabbing a glass and ice.

"Thanks Itachi," Naruto nodded his head and leaned slightly to see Sasuke working at the other end of the bar. Itachi watched as Naruto's eyes zeroed in on Sasuke. He shifted into Naruto's line of site while placing the beverage on the bar. "Say…Itachi," Naruto began to speak.

"No," Itachi spoke point blank and firm.

Naruto sputtered as he blinked up at Itachi, who folded his arms across his chest. "No what? You don't know what I was going to ask!" Naruto spout out, his lips jutting out in a pout.

Itachi gave Naruto a frown but said nothing. He turned to attend to other customers. Naruto peered around Itachi again, seeing Sasuke at the other end of the bar. He watched Sasuke attend customers, never giving them more than his attention on what drinks were requested. His facial features held a continuous impassive look as he danced around the bar, creating beverages of all sizes and colours, opening bottles and pouring draft. Naruto was captivated by Sasuke's movements. The way he side stepped and shuffled, reached and bent and twirled about in a seductive waltz that pulled Naruto in like a siren's call. Naruto subtly sniffed the air to catch Sasuke's scent. _'There!'_ Naruto inhaled deep and his eyes fluttered at the earthy accent and slight alpha smell rising from Sasuke. The scent of anger was also present, and Naruto frowned. _'Why is he always so angry?'_ This concerned Naruto and his inner wolf. His wolf pushed against his mental walls, the feeling of wanting to soothe overcoming Naruto's senses. Naruto clutched his drink, focusing on the liquid, contemplating his next move. He didn't notice a form sliding next to him.

"Naruto," a deep silk voice spoke.

"Ack! GEEZ!" Naruto yelped as he was pulled out of his thoughts. He whipped his head around to face teal green eyes laced with black eyeliner and fire red coloured hair.

"Gaara!" Naruto beamed a brilliant smile and pulled the red headed man in for a hug. "Great to see you! When did you arrive? How you been? Where's your family?..."Naruto babbled out question after question while giving the well-built man a few pats on the back during the tight forming hug.

"Urk!…Na-Naruto…" the redheaded man known as Gaara chocked on his words as he was being squeezed beyond belief by a loud mouthed muscled blond, "c-could use some air…here," Gaara coughed out as tried to push back from Naruto's hold.

"EE! Sorry!" Naruto chuckled and a blush creeped across his face as he pulled back and held Gaara at arms length, his hands still resting on the man's shoulders. "So good to see you man! Let me get you a drink!" Naruto smiled and motioned his arm and hand out to the bar stool, inviting Gaara to sit.

"Hn," Gaara responded with a nod to his head as he took a seat.

Naruto waved his arm at Itachi who was a few feet away tending customers. "Oi, Itachi!" Naruto bellowed, while still waving his arm about. Itachi glanced in Naruto's direction, then went back to the customers he was already tending too. Naruto huffed then called again. Itachi held a pointer finger up at Naruto's direction without looking at him, indicating that he was busy at the moment. Naruto flopped on his stool and harrumphed.

"Still as impatient as ever ne?" Gaara chuckled at Naruto's antics and watched him pout.

"What?! No way!" Naruto flustered a response and stuck his tongue out at Gaara. Gaara snorted into a smirk. Naruto grinned at Gaara and patted his shoulder. "It's good to see you man! I didn't know you were in town! What brings you by?" Naruto questioned Gaara as he grabbed at his drink for a sip.

"Discussions with the council regarding movement in the northern territories. Determining if the situations are hostile, colonization issues, boundaries, territories, etcetera etcetera," Gaara explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "Uncle is ensuring I understand the full dynamics of council and political reasoning by attending these meetings."

"Has he given a date of abdication?"

"Nothing solid yet, just more lessons," Gaara responds flatly, "doesn't matter to me, it'll happen when it happens." He shrugged as he looked up behind the bar.

"Gaara," a smooth baritone voice speaks respectively.

"Sasuke," Gaara responds with a respective nod towards Sasuke.

Naruto's mouth shapes an _o_ as his blue eyes are wide and shift between Gaara and Sasuke. He is momentarily speechless as he watches the interaction between one of his good friends and the sexy amazing alpha he is currently striking out with.

"Drink?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow in question as he asks Gaara.

"Scotch with rocks should do," Gaara replies and glances towards Naruto's sure shocked facial expression while Sasuke moves to the side to prepare the drink. Gaara gives Naruto a look of question and Naruto closes his mouth with a snap.

"How…?" Naruto sputters out while waving his hand back and forth pointing at Gaara then Sasuke and then back again.

"The Uchiha's have always had seats on the council Naruto, along with my family, and shouldn't you know all this?" Gaara asked out simply.

"Ahh…well you know granny, she always said the council were old biddies, stuck with no desire to advance and well…heh heh… you know," Naruto started scratching the back of his neck, a blush rushed across his nose and he looked anywhere else but at Gaara, "the Uzumaki's just never wanted to stay on council…I guess?" Naruto chocked out a laugh and grabbed his drink. He quickly sipped at it, his blush still vibrant and Gaara's teal eyes just watched him. "But that still doesn't answer how you and Sasuke know each other!" Naruto quickly added as he finished off his drink.

"Classic idiot," a voice grunted out from behind the bar. Naruto looked up to see Sasuke return with Gaara's drink, Sasuke rolling his eyes at Naruto as he placed the scotch in front of Gaara.

Naruto stared heatedly at Sasuke, no words coming from his mouth. Naruto could practically feel Sasuke's addictive scents floating around the area. He took a breath in, shuddering at it overtook his senses. His inner wolf rolled against the mental barriers, rubbing against the sensory areas, triggering several sparks within Naruto. _'He still smells slightly angry…'_

Gaara nodded at Sasuke for the drink then glanced at Naruto. Gaara's eyes widened as he focused on Naruto's sapphire eyes and noted a yellow ring around the pupil. Gaara's lip twitched into a half smile at Naruto, noting his eyes were focused on Sasuke as he turned and headed to the other end of the bar, his gaze appeared to follow Sasuke's every move. _'Interesting…'_ Gaara thought to himself as he sipped his drink.

Naruto blinked and turned to face Gaara. "So…" Naruto propped his elbow on the bar, "you know Sasuke…cause…" Naruto trailed his question urging Gaara to finish, his eyes wide and blue, beaming directly into Gaara's teal green.

"It's all political Naruto, there is nothing more to explain," Gaara sipped his drink.

"Ugh, so not fair." Naruto frowned and slouched in his seat.

"Why the interest? Never pegged you for being interested in political dealings," Gaara simply asked Naruto.

"I don't think that it's the political aspect that has expressed an interest for Naruto," Itachi spoke up as he approached. "Gaara, good to see you," Itachi nodded towards the red head.

"Itachi," Gaara nodded back.

"Gah! Of course you would know Itachi too!" Naruto waved his hands up, showing his frustration at the whole ordeal. Itachi just raised an eyebrow at Naruto and Gaara chuckled. Naruto sighed loudly while giving a longing glace in Sasuke's direction. "What does he like Itachi?" Naruto asked indirectly, "and what does he do for fun?" Naruto peeked his vibrant blues up at Itachi while resting his cheek on his fist.

"Look...Naruto," Itachi stared straight at Naruto, his face serious, "it's not a good time right now."

"Don't you think Sasuke should be the judge of that?" Naruto snapped back quickly.

Itachi let out a loud exhale and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He squinted his eyes shut as he felt the pressure behind his sinus'. "All I'm saying is that with work and schooling, I don't think he should take his focus off that right now."

Naruto said nothing as he watched Sasuke continue to assist customers. He pinched his lips together and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a couple bills and laid them on the bar top. "For mine and Gaara's drinks." Naruto then inhaled a breath while putting his wallet back in his pocket. He then glanced over at Sasuke and then to Itachi. "Look Itachi, I'm not asking for much, but I don't think it's up to you to make that decision. I get the importance of education, I'm a student and work as well, remember? And I would like to think that Sasuke is mature enough to make his own choices on who he associates with," Naruto stated firmly. He turned to Gaara with a smile, "Gaara, give me a call later and let me know how long you are in town for! We'll hook up!" Naruto then turned to Itachi and gave him a nod, "have a good night Itachi," he said respectively. And with that, Naruto turned on his heel and headed towards the exit.

Itachi watched Naruto leave, his face stoic, his arms crossed across his chest. "Hmph…" Itachi hummed to himself and smiled. He glanced to Gaara, who appeared curious on what just happened. "Another Gaara?" Itachi asked as he noted that Gaara's glass was empty.

"If it gets me a story, then sure," he responded with a hint of satire, holding up his glass.

Itachi grabbed a new glass with ice, then poured Gaara a new drink. "Naruto has an interest in Sasuke, but Sasuke blew him off when Naruto made a horrible first impression," Itachi explained while pouring the golden scotch over the ice.

Gaara chuckled, "that sounds like a Naruto thing," his lip twitched into a half smile.

"Sounds more like an idiot," a new voice came into the conversation. Gaara looked over to see Sasuke leaning his hip against the bar top with his arms crossed his chest, a smirk on his lips.

"He can be boyish, loud, impulsive and sometimes, yes, there can be some idiocy at the wrong times. But," Gaara raised his glass up, holding it at eye level as Gaara appeared to be focusing on the contents, "you will never find a more honorable, dedicated, caring and steadfast individual like Naruto Uzumaki. Some would gladly go to war for him just as he would give his all, including his life for any friend." Gaara finished speaking with a firm finality in his voice. He flickered his eyes away from his drink and focused on Sasuke, raising a nonexistent brow, making his point clear.

Sasuke tilted his head and his eyes widened as Gaara spoke about this Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke was never wrong on judging an alpha's character with his many experiences on meeting them, and he has certainly met his fair share of self-centered arrogant pompous ass alphas, but Gaara wouldn't lie. _'Is this really that same dobe from the other night and from the library?'_ Sasuke suddenly felt the deep mental stirring of his inner wolf at the mention of the name and could have sworn he heard it purr.

-XOXO-


	4. Sniff some more

Hello hello, and welcome to another chapter.

All reviews of course are welcome as I struggled along pushing out this interesting story to the fan fiction world. :D

===============XOXOXOXO==============

Several men clad in jeans or slacks, plaid or plain coloured wool jackets, were gathered in a dimly lit cellar. Some sat on random chairs, others stood, but all talking in hushed tones to each other, while waiting for someone to fill a chair behind a wood desk. Rusty coloured bricks made the walls of the room, with a shelving unit adoring the wall directly across from the deep coloured hard wood desk. Several dark grey filing cabinets were pushed into corners throughout the room. Large beams of wood ran across the ceiling of the room and the only light came from a few mounted single bulb wall lights that glowed well below the average florescent bulb. The room was located under a building that housed a below average bar, full of patrons more of the blue colour crowd and at times, questionable characters. The men hushed as one of the two doors opened and a slender long darked haired man entered the room and unnaturally white features, headed for the chair behind the desk. A slimmer man, younger and with black cropped hair and fair skin followed behind closely.

The elder pulled himself up to the desk, reached over to a drawer tucked in the desk and pulled out several folders, placing them on the desk. The younger slimmer man stood slightly behind and to the side of the elder man at the desk.

"Gentleman, thank you for coming. I appreciate you all taking time to come by to take a look at our latest merchandise requests." The elder man sitting behind the desk spoke and his dull yellow eyes passed over the various men sitting across from the desk. "These folders," he tapped his fingers on the stack, "have specific information regarding each case, and some of them even have photos. Each profile has a list of specifics that we are interested in as well as the current paying price."

"Excuse me Mr. O, how can we trust that the current rate of exchange is competitive with other buyers?" One of the men asked from the group of men.

"My associate here actively explores our competitor's prices on a weekly basis, to ensure that we can stay above and offer the best payment for goods received," Mr. O responded smoothly, holding his open hand up to gesture towards the young man to his right, his eyes not leaving the man who asked the question. "If there are no other questions at this time, please take a moment to look at the contents in the folders." He gestured towards the stack and the younger grabbed the folders and walked out to begin handing out random folders to the men.

There was a hush about the room, the only sounds were several men flipping through pages, reviewing the information handed to them. Several of the men began to whisper to each other, pointing at various areas in the folders and sharing them with each other. Mr. O sat back in his chair and folded his hands together on top of the desk. A small smile twitched onto his lips as he watched the men flip through various pages and discussed with each other. His associate returned to his side, hands clasped behind himself and his eyes watched the men in the room. Mr. O lifted his hand and made a silent request by flickering his fingers towards himself at the younger man to his right. The young man stepped forward and bent down so his ear was near Mr. O's lips.

"Bring me the one folder now," he whispered in a hiss. The man nodded and went to one of the filing cabinets in a corner. The men ignored him while he went to retrieve a document from one of the cabinets, then promptly returning to Mr. O's side.

"Any questions gentleman?" Mr. O spoke up to get the attention of the group of men. The men hushed immediately, closing the folders and did not respond. "Well then, to continue, I have one case here that requires… _special attention,"_ Mr. O hissed out between his teeth with a wide smirk. He held the folder strait up and tapped it on the edge on his desk.

"What is so special about that case compared to the regular cases?" one man asked that was standing near the front of the others.

Mr. O laid the folder down flat on his desk and leaned forward into his desk. Resting his elbows on the desk, he folded his hands together and brought them to the front of his face. He said nothing for a moment, as it appeared he was thinking on how to respond. He then tsked through his teeth and lifted his eyes to bore down on the man who asked. "This case requires a special kind of treatment and research, that only myself and my associate can perform. It is a _special_ _request_ that this product be brought to me in one piece. Top price of course will be paid and if you wish to compare with other competitors, you are more than welcome too. But I can assure you," he lifted his head up, his eyes glaring, "that my final price cannot be trumped. Interested?"

"I'm interested in the challenge," a burly man called from the far corner of the room. He made his way to the front of the group, extended a hand towards the folder, a smirk on his lips.

"Very well. But if you decide that this special case cannot be completed, you are to return the information to me so it can be assigned to someone else, clear?" Mr. O held out the folder, giving the tall man a sturdy glare.

"Tsk…if I can't handle this case, I'll turn in my tools," he chuckled to himself as he plucked the folder from Mr. O, flipping it open and glancing over the contents.

"Share the info there, Truck," another man called from the room, stepping closer to the man, "I might want a piece too yah know." He shoved snuff into his mouth while looking into the file as well.

"Shit Scorch, looks like 'dere more than one eh. Says here 'dere some other family. I'm sure we could get a pretty price for the other's if Mr. O only wants this _Sasuke,"_ Truck gave a feral grin as he pointed to the contents of the folder and both men's eyes skimmed over the information.

Mr. O sat back, eyeing the men. "You are somewhat correct. I require _Sasuke_ undamaged and whole. You are free to carry out what you need from the _extended family._ " He fluttered his hand at the men, indicating his disinterest. "Very well, if there are no other questions, I expect to see product within the month. Thank you for your time gentlemen," he spoke with a finality in his voice and gestured to the door, indicating that the meeting was now over.

As the men filed out the room, the younger man's eyes watched every single one head out. His lips were tight as he glanced down at his elder. As soon as they were alone, eyes glanced up at the youth, "question?"

"How can we be sure that he will be brought back in one piece?" a harsh hissing spit out through clenched teeth.

"Now now, many of them have shown their loyalty to me and we do have the most competitive prices still, do we not?" Mr. O smirked, "if it concerns you that much, you can either monitor to ensure he abides by our wishes or you can get to him first. Whichever works better for you."

"Fine," as the younger turned to leave the room. Pale yellow eyes watched the younger head out of the room with a small smirk on his lips. The night had turned out to be productive so far.

==================================XOXOXO===============================

Sasuke trekked across a campus yard, heading for his next class. He steps were quick as he didn't want to be late. He grumbled to himself, thinking about his recent conversation with his brother.

 _"It's time to go out again soon, ensure you are caught up on your class work. I suspect us to be gone for a few days," Itachi had spoken up from his sitting chair when Sasuke was getting ready to leave for class._

 _Sasuke hesitated while slipping on his boots. "Didn't we just go? I'm fine, I don't need it. Go without me," Sasuke responded, voice laced with irritation._

 _"Sasuke…"_

 _"For fucks sake no! It's under control! I don't need some romp in the woods to lull the fucking beast," Sasuke spat back at Itachi. He was pissed at the whole concept of how he had to bend to the will of the wolf in order to get in touch with nature or some stupid shit like that._

 _"You know it's more than that Sasuke," Itachi responded firmly. "We all need a healthy bond with our wolf, it is our second half and it's part of who we are"._

 _"It's_ _ **my**_ _life,_ _ **I'm**_ _in charge and I do not and will not allow it to take control!" With that Sasuke stormed out of the house, giving the door a hard slam behind him._

 _'Fucking dammit…fucking 'tachi…_ ' Sasuke cursed continuously in his head. As far as Sasuke was concerned, he was cursed and no amount of 'bonding, submitting or acceptance' to the beast was going to change his mind. His brother's continuous rants about 'accepting his wolf' made Sasuke's anger flare. _'He accepts that I should turn my back on my instinctual omega habits but then says I should accept the wolf, fucking hypocrite'_. Sasuke was fed up with having a wolf. He never asked to be this way, never asked to share a part of his brain with a beast who's only thoughts were eating, running around a forest chasing cats and rabbits and humping anything that moved. He accepted that he couldn't remove the wolf, as he couldn't find a way to do it in the past and the pills only suppressed so much, so he ran to Orochimaru, who gave promises to seal it. Sasuke shuddered as an ice cold shiver went through his system. His mind suddenly providing flashbacks of those days, goosebumps rising on his arms. He could feel the tension and irritability build mentally at his wolf's agony of being suppressed. The memories of his time with Orochimaru always shook his wolf up. Sasuke shook his head hard and pulled his phone out of his pocket, content on losing his thoughts on something else while walking to class.

With his nose buried in his phone, his book bag slung over his shoulder, he slowed his stride when he heard a boisterous laugh that carried across the yard. He glanced to where he heard the sound and a few meters away, within a group of individuals, blond hair shone brightly in the sunlight. _'No way, can't be…'_ Sasuke thought to himself as he slowed his walk to a crawl and focused on the group of students. A laugh was heard again, along with others, and Sasuke saw the tan cheeks, hued with red from the chill of the air, but it was definitely whom he thought. _'What the fuck? He can't be a student here…'_ Sasuke grit his teeth suddenly, the realization that perhaps what he is thinking is true, Naruto Uzumaki is a student at this university. _'No way, maybe he's visiting friends, works in the cafeteria or is a janitor for fucks sakes,'_ Sasuke tried to reason to himself.

Adjusting his bag and pocketing his phone since his fingers were getting cold, the wind picked up slightly and it just so happened a subtle scent crossed Sasuke's nose. He flustered slightly before his body, against his wishes, inhaled the scent. The scent was citrus like, with what smelled like a fresh meadow in the spring. Sasuke felt his insides flutter slightly as his emotions appeared to feel lighter, happier and peaceful. His inner wolf suddenly perked up and it felt as it was rubbing the sensory areas of his mind. Sasuke felt suddenly intoxicated on happiness and his wolf mentally rolled around in it. Sasuke shuddered as he closed his eyes and inhaled again. A small smile played on his lips. _'What the?!'_ Sasuke opened his eyes suddenly feeling horrified with himself. He clenched his fists, bit the inside of his cheek and huffed to himself. He felt appalled and disgusted at himself for allowing something like a scent overwhelm his senses. _'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! You are not weak!'_ Sasuke forced the tremor of his wolf's senses down, covering it with layers of darkness and anger. His wolf fought, biting and clawing at the mental barriers, causing Sasuke's head to pound and nose to bleed. Sasuke's knees gave out as he slapped his hands at his temples and fell to his knees. "Nnrrgh!" he spit out as he bit his bottom lip, stopping any sound leaving his throat, his eyes squeezed shut, his hands squeezing his head and as he gasped through the pain. He hunched over gritting his teeth, as he panted through breaths and rubbing at his temples. _'I am not weak!_ _ **NOT WEAK**_ _!'_ Sasuke chanted through the pain.

"—ke! – ke!"

Sasuke heard something like his name as he continued to gasp for air, willing the pain to stop, but the torment from the spasms of pain shooting through his temples continued. He felt even more dirty and pathetic as he heard himself give a small whine as he hunched over further, his forehead resting on the cool concrete of the sidewalk, his palms holding the sides of his head as he struggled to regain his breathing. _'Not weak! Not…we - ak!'_ Sasuke continued the mantra too himself, _'I…am…in…control…'_ he breathed through the pain, trying not to lose himself to it.

The pain suddenly began to subside. Sasuke was able to take deeper breaths. He felt his inner wolf begin to settle into the recesses of his mind. Sasuke began to feel his regular body again instead of pain. He shuddered as his breathing began to steady. He felt warm, cozy even and safe. They were pleasant feelings and Sasuke suddenly felt that he didn't need to worry about anything. Sasuke's eyes flew open.

"What the…?!" he spoke out suddenly. Sasuke's felt his eyes widen with shock. He realized his skin felt warm, and he felt coddled like in a heating blanket. Sasuke began to feel his face explode with embarrassment and he began to twist his body in a panic as he didn't know where he was. He kicked his legs out, trying to find the ground. "Let me go!" he shrieked out, anger now starting to flare out, "for fucks sake, **let me go!** " he bellowed as one of his fists struck out and connected with something, making a harsh cracking sound.

"Holy fuck! Calm down Sasuke!" Naruto suddenly cried out as a fist connected to his face, "are you okay?!" Naruto still cradled onto Sasuke as he struggled to get out of the hold.

"Get off. Get off. GET OFF!" Sasuke bellowed again as he began to kick and throw punches at Naruto.

"Okay okay! GEEZ! Relax!" Naruto managed to squeak out as he released Sasuke.

Sasuke rolled from Naruto and stumbled up onto his feet. He glared instantly at Naruto and growled as he backed a few feet away, eyes flashing.

"Sasuke! Calm down, it's okay, it's me! Naruto! Remember?!" Naruto held out his hands, palms up in a 'mean you no harm' fashion as he started to get up off the ground, "it's okay… it's okay, I won't hurt you," he continued to speak in a calm voice.

Sasuke continued to just eye Naruto, teeth bared and eyes flashing. He was panting hard, his hands were in tight fists and trembling as Naruto continued to rise up from the ground, repeating it was okay. Sasuke's mind was fogged with anger, fear and confusion.

"Okay Sasuke, it's just me, Naruto. You're alright now, your free, I won't hurt you," Naruto continued to talk softly, his blue eyes soft and a calming scent began to float in the air.

Sasuke's eyes began to clear as his senses began to pick up the calming scent from Naruto. Sasuke began to stand up straight, his black eyes beginning to focus on the blond in front of him, the fog beginning to clear. He brought a hand to his forehead as he blinked rapidly for several seconds, trying to recall the now. His eyes then looked up to wide azure eyes and full peach lips. "Naruto?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Yeah. How do you feel now Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly and carefully, approaching Sasuke slowly, his eyes watching him, but still keeping his distance.

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat, his mind suddenly aware of the situation. What had happened, what Naruto had done, how he had been seen, Sasuke's eyes widened in mortification. _'Holy fuck… holy fuck…he's gonna know now for sure!'_ Sasuke began to internally go through various scenarios in his mind to get out of this situation. He tightened his lips, put on his deepest glare from his eyes before meeting with gleaming sapphires. Sasuke went to reach for his bag that was on the ground, "Hn," he gruffed out, "as best can be after being practically molested." Sasuke shot out at Naruto while flipping his bag on his shoulder and turning to walk away from him.

Naruto's sputtered suddenly, his eyes surprised and then angry as he registered exactly Sasuke had said. "What the fuck?! Like…oh my God!... shit…I – I can't … Jeezuz! I just wanna know if you're okay! Why are you so angry?" Naruto sputtered away, his arms flaring every which way, showing his irritation with the situation.

Sasuke continued to walk away from Naruto, not answering nor indicating he heard Naruto. _'Thank god…he didn't notice anything,'_ Sasuke thought to himself, shoulders relaxing slightly knowing that Naruto didn't figure out who he really was.

"Okay then…" Naruto spoke quietly as he watched the raven haired beauty walk quickly away, anger and frustration washing away. Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck, his eyes steadily watching the figure move in the distance. He sniffed the air and could smell Sasuke; the hint of alpha, the smell of the earth and the anger. "Always so angry…what can I do for you Sasuke?" Naruto whispered to himself. Naruto recalled catching Sasuke's scent in the air while he was chatting with some other university classmates. The scent took him by surprise, but nothing was more concerning than seeing Sasuke fall to his knees in obvious agony and distress. His body instantly bolted as his mind became an instant flurry of worry and concern. His inner wolf nearly howled out in distress. When he got to Sasuke, he practically panicked when he saw the blood. He grabbed Sasuke who was curling in on himself and cradled him to see if he could see locate the injury. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he noted the blood was from a nose bleed, but Sasuke appeared to be in so much agony, with his eyes squeezed shut, his hands cradling his head, his soft whimpers, Naruto didn't know what to do but to hold him and release a calming scent. It appeared to work as Sasuke's breathing began to regulate, the bleeding stopped and Sasuke evidently began to relax. "You are an enigma Sasuke Uchiha," Naruto muttered to himself as he turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Sasuke quickly turned into an opening around some buildings into a quiet lane. He stopped and leaned against a wall, breathing heavy and listening to ensure the blond wasn't following him. "Of all the times," Sasuke berated himself, "that idiot had to be there, didn't he?!" He stared up at the sky, his head resting against the wall, as he drew in deep breathes of air to calm himself. He felt that his inner wolf was content, obviously happy of the attention it got from that _bothersome_ _egocentric loud mouthed alpha_! Sasuke huffed out loud, aggravated at his omega wolf for being so weak willed. He felt disgusted thinking about how his wolf turned into a panting feeble hormonal pup! Just because some good looking alpha let loose a little scent! Sasuke abused himself mentally, feeling outraged that his mind became powerless and the wolf demanded submission with such force, exploding through any barrier Sasuke forced upon it.

"Hello beautiful," a deep silky voice suddenly spoke into Sasuke's ear.

"Holy shit!" Sasuke cried out suddenly, as he jumped to the side, away from the voice. He was furious with himself for not noticing someone coming up beside him! _'FUCK! What the hell!'_ Sasuke fixated his eyes on the intruder. He clenched his teeth when he saw who it was. "What the hell do you want Sai," Sasuke spat out.

"Tsk. Is that anyway to talk to your mate?" Sai waggled his finger back and forth as he squared his glare on Sasuke. He began to take steps towards Sasuke.

Sasuke refused to back down. He stood his ground, back straight and kept his jaw solid. He scowled as Sai approached him, a small growl raising from his chest. "We are **not** mates!" he spat out through clenched teeth, "so piss off before I beat your face into a pulp!"

"Aw baby, don't be so angry," Sai gave a fake pout and a whine as he stopped directly in front of Sasuke, "you know it excites me when you get so… _defiant_ ," Sai whispered in a sultry voice, "so unless you want to get punished right here, right now, keep talking baby," Sai finished with giving a quick lick to Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke jerked away. "Are you okay baby?" Sai brought a tissue from his pocket, grabbed Sasuke's chin holding it firmly as he began wiping under Sasuke's nose. "It pains me to see you bleed," Sai continued to hold Sasuke's chin firm, "are you getting these annoying little nose bleeds again? You know it wouldn't happen so much if you just stopped fighting." Sai focused his black eyes on Sasuke. Sasuke's glare did not falter, he refused to concede to Sai's little game.

Noises of people talking and laughing on either side of the building suddenly drifted around the corners. "Oh well, another time then," Sai clicked his tongue upon hearing the voices getting closer. As he began to turn away he stopped and looked at Sasuke, who continued to glare at Sai defiantly. "I've given you your space love, it's time to settle don't you think?" Sai winked at Sasuke, his eyes traveling up and down Sasuke's torso and then licked his lips. "You know how to get a hold of me…my mate. Be sure to keep an eye out, rumors going around that hunters are sniffing around." And with that Sai turned and walked down the lane, his steps confident and his head held high. Sasuke didn't move as he watched Sai strut away and disappear around the corner. Sasuke let out a deep breath as he leaned against the building, eyes still focused on where Sai turned the corner. _'Fucking prick! Who does he think he is!'_ Sasuke felt his wolf begin to push at the barriers, anxiety rising up, push…push... Sasuke huffed, _'I'm not scared of hunters! I'm not weak! I can deal with this!'_ Sasuke felt aggravated thinking that simple human hunters had the audacity thinking that they could bring him down. _'No way some puny humans are going to contend with me!'_ Sasuke embraced the irritation he felt for thinking he was some weak pup that couldn't handle bullying humans. _'I can deal with them and Sai,'_ he huffed to himself, as he tightened his grip on his book bag and headed off in the opposite direction towards his next scheduled class.

=============================XOXOXO============================

Naruto sat hunched on his couch, his eyes staring blankly at the television, his hand rested over a remote. This is where Hinata found Naruto when she came home from work. At first, she didn't think anything of it, so she continued up to her room doing her random everyday chores. It was when she found him an hour or so later, and he had not moved, that she began feel concerned. The others weren't home yet, so Hinata wandered into the room and stood between Naruto and the television. Naruto continued to stare through her and Hinata crouched down to see into his eyes. His eyes were still blue, but glazed over, focusing on nothing in particular. Hinata touched his knee, nothing. She gave his knee a tap, still nothing. Now fascinated, she decided on something a little more intense. "Naruto?" she spoke softly, but still no answer. "Naruto, Sakura's on a health food kick and throwing out all the ramen."

"OH MY GOD NO! MY RAMEN!" Naruto lurched himself up instantly and promptly fell face first onto the carpeted floor. "NO! I can't feel my legs! Help! My ramen!" Naruto's arm shook as he struggled to hoist his body up off the floor. Hinata began giggling helplessly as she watched Naruto flop around then finally begin to focus on his surroundings. Naruto stopped suddenly, blinking furiously as he turned his head virtually in every direction trying to get a hold of himself. "Hinata?" Naruto asked as he struggled to sit up.

"Yes Naruto, I'm home," Hinata giggled as she walked over to help Naruto sit up. "You were so deep in thought, you didn't notice me at all! It is so unlike you to be that entranced!"

Naruto stuck his bottom lip out in a pout as he managed to get back onto the couch. "Your so mean. Bringing my poor defenseless ramen into your game." Naruto crossed his arms in a huff.

Hinata giggled, "aw I'm so sorry my alpha," she mocked his pout, "how can I make it up to you?" she smiled as she ruffled his blond locks.

Naruto gave a big grin at Hinata. He knew she was just teasing him and he loved her for it. "I am at an impasse." Hinata raised an eyebrow at Naruto, her eyes wide and questioning. "Yeah, I know! For me that's really something," Naruto chuckled as he responded to Hinata's silent questioning. "I need some advice on an incredibly sexy alpha that I just can't get out of my mind. And everything I do, just seems to piss him off more." Naruto let out a huff, "and situations have occurred that confuse me, like, his anger. Seriously, every time I see him, he is so angry." Naruto ran two hands through his hair, resting his palms on the back of his neck and hung his head.

Hinata watched intrigued. Naruto appeared to be entranced on someone. "Is he angry with your specifically?" she asked.

"No! At least, not when we first meet up. But today, it was weird, he came across where I was and suddenly he was in pain. I saw his nose was bleeding but that doesn't make sense to me that it would cause him that much pain. When it was over, he was just pissed at me and walked away!" Naruto let out an exasperated sigh and flopped back against the back of the couch, his arms falling to each of his sides.

Hinata leaned sideways into the back of the couch, her light coloured eyes watching Naruto, giving him a soft expression. She knew Naruto for several years now, his pack and extended pack family. Hinata's clan came from several territories over and came to know the Uzumaki's when their territory came under attack. Together the two clans overcame the invaders and an alliance was formed between the two territories. When it came time for Naruto to be pack alpha, Hinata jumped at the opportunity to join his pack, knowing Naruto's fierce abilities and dedication to his pack. "Perhaps you need to have a softer approach Naruto," Hinata spoke up. Naruto glanced at her. "You can, after all," she paused, thinking of the right words to say, "be …overwhelming sometimes." She gave Naruto a small smile. Naruto raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hellooooo! Anyone home?!" A deep howling like voice called out from the front door area.

"Aye, we're in the sitting room!" Naruto turned his head towards the hallway, before bellowing out in response.

Emerald eyes and a bright grin, together with deep crimson shoulder length hair peeked around the corner, "Evening captain! Reporting in!" a hearty chuckle escaped the lips while giving a two finger salute from his forehead.

"Kyuubi! Good to see you, report!" Naruto sat up straight as he gave the order.

"Perimeter secured, no signs of hostiles, old or new. Kiba scented the south east as I scented the north west." Kyuubi flopped himself on a big arm chair while giving his report. "Even the neighbors haven't been around, all's quiet on the front cap'!" Kyuubi snickered at his private joke.

"Thanks Kyuubi. Where's Kiba?"

"Oh he ran off to town, hooking us up with concert tickets for the GlitterKillaz! They are coming in like four months, woot!" Kyuubi shot his fist up, emphasizing his excitement then started air guitaring making musical noises from his mouth.

Naruto smiled, he wasn't into that type of music. "Awesome Kyu. Good to hear there isn't any concerns around the perimeter, I gotta give the monthly report to granny in a couple days. Plus I'm sure she will give me an update on any council business." He leaned back again into the couch.

"Sup cap? I can see the smoke rising from your head," Kyuubi tossed a throw pillow Naruto, chuckling the while.

Naruto just moved his head to avoid the soft incoming missile. "Just coming up with a plan to get the attention of an amazing sexy strong alpha that has my wolf perked," Naruto breathed out exasperated.

"OOOhhhhhhh," Kyuubi howled through his lips with a big smile on his face, "could it be our cute fuzzy wuzzy lovable alpha have a potential mate in his sights?" Kyuubi folded his hands under his chin, opened his eyes wide and started fluttering his eyelids and giving kissing noises with his lips. "Oh please my alpha, sweet alpha, woo me off my feet!" Kyuubi made a high pitched voice as he continued to overly exaggerate his fluttering eyelids. Hinata giggled at her end of the couch as Naruto chucked the throw pillow back at Kyuubi.

"Have you looked into the courting rituals Naruto?" Hinata spoke up before Naruto and Kyuubi started getting really rambunctious.

Naruto stopped mid-throw and shrunk his head into his shoulders. His face scrunched up, suddenly looking embarrassed. "Well, I have looked at them…briefly…*cough*5 years *cough* ago?" Naruto looked anywhere but at Hinata. Hinata gave Naruto a firm glare. "Hey! I was young! I never thought I would ever bond with anyone, let alone be interested in anyone for courting rituals!" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, smiling wide.

"Uh oh! Someone is in trouble! Didn't do his homework!" Kyuubi suddenly sing songed in the background.

"Shut it Kyu!" Naruto jumped up, throwing himself at Kyuubi. Kyuubi laughed heartily while trying to get away from Naruto.

Hinata's eyes widened as she watched Kyuubi and Naruto wrestle on the floor in the sitting room. Both laughing, play punching and head locking each other. She then shook her head, knowing that it would be a bit before the two settled down enough for her to suggest the library. The library held several novels of information regarding several courtship rituals of werewolves and of some clans. The rituals were important to their werewolf culture as well as their instincts. She got up and headed to the kitchen to look in on starting dinner.

Shortly afterwards Naruto and Kyuubi were laying on the floor, slightly panting, hair and clothing ruffled as they stared at the ceiling catching their breath. "So who is he?" Kyuubi asked nonchalantly.

"Sasuke of the Uchiha clan," Naruto answered smoothly.

"Ah…Itachi's little brother, nice."

"How is it that everyone appears to know about him except me?" Naruto had a bit of whine in his voice.

"If you keep up with the political current events, you would know the clans that are involved with the council and other matters dumb ass," Kyuubi rolled over and gave Naruto a hard slug on the arm, "time to grow up and keep up _alpha_." Kyuubi then rolled up onto his feet, stepping onto Naruto's chest and jiggling his foot around. Hard enough to keep Naruto down while he harassed him, but not hard enough to hurt him. "So my alphaaaaa…." Kyuubi tickled Naruto with his toes, "better get educated up before you make that move!" Kyubbi bent over and slapped both sides of Naruto's cheeks before sprinting out of the room.

"KYUUBI you BEAST! Get back here!" Naruto laughed, sputtered and coughed as he flailed trying to get Kyuubi off him then tried to get on his feet to chase after him. Either way, his laughter had him struggling to fight Kyuubi off and now he just sat on his knees, his cheeks hurting from all the laughter. He sighed deep as he sat back on his legs and considered his options. _'Consulting the volumes is probably the way to go and I should talk to granny.'_ Making his way up to his feet, he headed on route to their home's library. _'Better get started.'_

===================XOXOXO===================

Until next time! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Well, isn't this something. I got a really really really nice nudge from ahans1b who seriously, triggered my inner muse! Special thanks to you young'un :D

So on with the show, you lucky readers who get this really fast update eh? :)

===========XOXOXO=========

Naruto sat among open text books around him at a table. One hand fisted and rested against his chin. The other hand's fingers were softly caressing the pages following the words. His eyes flickering back and forth, following the words above his trailing fingers. A mug was placed beside him, breaking him suddenly of his concentration. His eyes quickly jumped up to see Hinata, who had brought him a steamy mug of hot chocolate. He smiled immediately before leaning back in his chair and stretching out his arms before him. He gave a small groan as he felt his back give small clicks and his muscles enjoying the stretch.

"Thought you might like something to drink. You have been in here for a while. What did you find?" Hinata sat across the table from Naruto, her own mug in her hand.

Naruto took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Oh the same old stuff from middle school. The expectations from clans, instincts and such." Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I don't remember there being so much details to it heh." Naruto then scratched the back of his neck while giving a small smile.

"I'm sure you will find what you are looking for Naruto," Hinata returned a small smile.

"Thanks! But I'm glad you're here too Hinata. I need you to look over the negotiation contracts for the Akatsuki region, their clan leader is Yahiko. There was a clause in there that required attention after several months. Can you please review while I am studying this and give me a report later?" Naruto took another sip of his hot chocolate. "And thanks for the chocolate Hinata, hits the spot!"

"No problem Naruto," Hinata responded as she got up from her seat, "study hard," she mentioned before leaving the library.

Naruto sighed and sat forward in his chair taking another sip of hot chocolate. He considered the areas of the rituals. _'Man, this stuff is so old fashioned. Does anyone do this anymore?'_ Naruto felt his inner wolf shudder through his mentality and release goosebumps on his forearms. Naruto rose an eyebrow and looked over at some of the courtships listed in the text book. He read one particular line and the shudder returned. _'Hmmph, guess that answers that question. Okay then, lets do this!'_ Naruto gave a grin as he thought about a plan.

============XOXOXO===========

Sasuke stepped into his home and instantly regretted it. His pack was all present and accounted for and all focused on him at once as soon as he entered the room. _'Shit!'_ Sasuke cursed inwardly as he contemplated his next move. He could take off his shoes and just head straight to his room, _'yet they would most likely corner me before I could get past them'_ he grumbled, _'or I can just get out now.'_ The latter option sounded the most agreeable and Sasuke began to turn around and make a break for the door he just came in from.

"Kisame, stop him," Itachi spoke smoothly. Kisame bolted for the door and threw a huge hand on it, slamming what little Sasuke managed to get open, and firmly keeping it closed.

"Sorry small fry, you're not going anywhere," Kisame grinned at Sasuke.

"I'm not doing this Itachi," Sasuke growled as he slowly turned around.

"Not this time Sasuke 'un. You need this, your wolf needs this," Deidara spoke up, who was standing beside Itachi.

"Fuck you!" Sasuke spat out. "I don't need this! I **_am in control!_** " Sasuke clenched his fists as he glared at Itachi.

"It's not about being in control, it is also about bonding Sasuke, completing the _merge_ with your wolf," Itachi responded.

"I do fucking merge, every fucking month when we go on those ridiculous camping trips, that don't do me fucking squat!" Sasuke raged out, his eyes flickering, his face getting hot with rage. Sasuke hated this, every fucking month! His brother ragging on him, nagging him, insisting on some non-existent awakening between himself and wolf.

"It's time to stop running away Sasuke. It's not healthy to keep ignoring who you are," Itachi continued on calmly.

"I don't have fucking time for this shit," Sasuke spit out and began walking past the pack and out of the room.

"Not this time otouto, I'm tired of you running away. Hidan," Itachi spoke firmly and sharply. Hidan quickly jumped up from the couch and went after Sasuke.

Hearing his brother's command, Sasuke took off into a run through the house to the back door. He knew that he couldn't physically beat Hidan, but he was quicker. Sasuke made it outside and sprinted across the yard and into the treed area that lead to the hilled brush area. Their home was specifically chosen in this area on the outskirts of the city to ensure the pack could get into the brush without being detected. Sasuke felt his heart pound against his chest as he ran. He was so pissed! How dare his brother be so overbearing and controlling! He suddenly felt excitement as he picked up his pace, feeling his legs stretch and take long strides. He pushed himself harder, wanting to feel the rush of the speed through his hair, whipping around his body, feel his heart thumping with adrenaline, while he leaped over roots, fallen trees and small creeks. Sasuke let out a small grin and he ducked his head as he leaned forward into the wind. He felt that nothing could stop him! ' _Let them try_!' He thought to himself with a smirk. His emotional state was so sated on the speed that when he was tackled to the ground, his muscles began to spasm with pain, his head filled with sudden panic, and he cried out a howl in agony and confusion. His arms and legs convulsed and vibrated with cramps, making horrid cracking noises and Sasuke screamed.

"He's mid-trans, fuck!" a voice called out. "Sasuke! Sasuke!"

Sasuke heard nothing. His mouth wide releasing wails of pain and agony as his body spasmed about. His eyes squeezed tight, his hands cramping into mutated positions that should not be of normalcy, his legs stretching in erratic directions with sickening crack sounds. "AH AH AHHHhh!" Sasuke cried out as his chin tipped up into the air, his head being pushed into the ground while his neck stretched.

"Hold him! Hold him! I need to compel him!" It was Itachi. He straddled his brother who twisted and jolted on the ground. Itachi threw both palms on Sasuke's forehead and pressed himself into him chest to chest. He held Sasuke down with his weight and began a deep purr in his chest. He rested his forehead upon his hands that covered Sasuke's forehead and closed his eyes. Slowly, Sasuke's convulsing body began to slow. His cries became whimpers, tears streamed from his still compressed eyes and he began to pant in quick short breaths. His body still shuddered when the muscles and bones began to settle back into place. Soon Sasuke was asleep and still. Itachi lifted his head and looked sorrowfully at his sleeping brother. "Please otouto, please…don't leave me again," he whispered and kissed his forehead before standing up.

Hidan fell to one knee, one fist on the ground, the upper half of his body resting on his bent knee. "Forgive me alpha, I shouldn't have handled him so harshly." His eyes focused on the ground, not daring to look up at Itachi.

Itachi just stood silently and frowned. He looked at his brother sleeping deeply upon the ground. He stood for some time, watching Sasuke take deep breaths and feeling the wind whisper around him. Hidan did not move, he knew better. Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose and took in a deep breath. He then turned and faced the still kneeling Hidan. Itachi felt his alpha grumble deep in his inner consciousness. Itachi clenched his fists, his breathing quickened as he felt a surge of disappointment. He launched himself at the still kneeling Hidan, his body quickly cracking and quaking under the pressure of his arms stretching out to become pawed forearms, his neck stretching and chest exploding to double the size, face contorting to produce a muzzle. Itachi shook his head sharply and instantly it became a wolf head with large ears and dripping canines. His eyes were fierce and angry, large paws pushed on Hidan's shoulders, forcing him onto his back, as Itachi's now full black furred wolf form towered over him and held him down. Hidan turned his face away, showing submission as Itachi's muzzle quickly opened and clamped onto his shoulder, giving a deep growl as his jaws broke the skin. A trickle of blood fell from the wound, seeping into the ground. Hidan whimpered but did not move. Itachi held Hidan's shoulder within his jaws for several minutes, growling in pants before finally releasing. His wolf eyes bore down on Hidan's face, who still did not make eye contact and then Itachi gave a loud snort before stepping off Hidan. Hidan laid still, breathing heavy, before he felt Itachi turn and walk away. It was then Hidan turned to see Itachi walking away, back in human form, towards the house. Hidan slowly rolled up onto his feet and retrieved Sasuke's still sleeping form. He didn't need to ask any question of what was expected of him.

===========XOXOXO==========

Deidara stood at the kitchen window, watching Itachi walk up, Hidan not to far behind carrying Sasuke's limp form. Deidara grabbed a light throw from the back of a chair and went to the door. As Itachi walked in, Deidara draped the throw over Itachi's shoulder. Itachi nodded and kept walking through the kitchen to the sitting room. Deidara then waited for Hidan to come in. He noted the blood on his shoulder and knew the punishment mark. Deidara held the door and Hidan nodded as he passed through and went to take Sasuke up to his room. Deidara quietly closed the door and headed to the sitting room. Itachi stood at the big bay window, overlooking the front area, his hands resting against the window frame. Deidara went and wrapped his arms around Itachi from the back, resting his head on back of his neck and shoulders and linking his hands together around Itachi's midsection. Itachi let out a sigh and squeezed Deidara's hands to show appreciation at the gesture.

"What happened this time 'un?" Deidara asked into Itachi's back.

"He started to transform when Hidan caught up with him. I'm guessing it was due to the shock that triggered it. He may have been in the state of mind of wanting to transform, I don't really know, but the pain Dei, he was in so much pain." Itachi sighed again, his breath quivered as he let out the breath.

Deidara squeezed Itachi and began to purr to soothe the heart hurt, knowing his alpha was suffering because of his brother. Deidara felt the pain and frustration as well, as Sasuke was like his own little brother since Itachi was his mate. He stepped back and had Itachi turn to face him. Deidara looked up into those deep dark coal coloured eyes and saw the heartache within them. He then cupped Itachi's face and brought his lips to his, applying soft pressure to let his alpha know he was here for him. Itachi deepened the kiss softly, his tongue requesting full access as he wrapped his arms around his slender frame and pulled him in closer. Deidara threaded his fingers through Itachi's hair and moaned into the deeper kiss as he allowed Itachi access. He felt his alpha's heart beat quicken but his kisses remained passionate and soft, his tongue exploring all of Deidara's cavern. Deidara's heart fluttered as he felt his alpha then cup his ass cheeks and give them a firm squeeze. He let out a moan as Itachi pulled him up from the floor and Deidara quickly wrapped his legs around Itachi's waist without breaking their kiss. Itachi nipped at Deidara's bottom lip as he pulled away from the kiss, his pupils dilated and focused on Deidara's powder blue half lidded eyes. Deidara gave a sultry look into Itachi's coal lust filled eyes, "my alpha…" he whispered licking his peach lips and catching his lower lip between his own teeth. Itachi clenched his teeth together, gave a quick huff and slammed his mouth back onto Deidara's full peach lips, his tongue lashing and demanding submission. Deidara groaned in ecstasy as Itachi squeezed him close and he could feel Itachi's rock hard cock rubbing against him. Itachi growled and began bouncing Deidara in his arms, as if Deidara weighed nothing. He growled more as he rutted his bulge against Deidara's straddled body. Deidara moaned and tilted his head back, bearing his neck to his alpha. Itachi grunted and pushed Deidara into a wall, his body holding him up and steady, while his groin rocked into Deidara's own manhood. "Ahh..f-fuck… m-my alpha…" Deidara panted as Itachi nipped as his neck, snarling and licking. His body forcefully bounced against the wall as Itachi drove his rut against him. Deidara felt Itachi's claws pinch his skin on his ass through his jeans and he knew that Itachi was going feral. Itachi's canines scratched across his neck and Deidara shivered as the trickles of pain tickled his pleasure spots. Itachi needed this, he was upset and confused at his brother's behaviours and Deidara was here to alleviate that. It was his duty as Itachi's mate and Deidara was more than willing to being fucked rough by his alpha. "Umph…g-god..yesss…" Deidara let out a grunt each time as Itachi slammed his groin against him, continuing to rut him roughly into the wall. Deidara pulled on Itachi's hair hard, putting his lips to Itachi's ear. Deidara gave a quick nip to his lobe, gaining Itachi's attention. "B-bedroom … my alpha…please…" he panted out. Itachi growled loudly and bit quickly into Deidara's neck. "AHH! Y-yes my alpha, please!" Deidara cried out and wiggled his hips against Itachi's rutting cock. Itachi suckled the bitten spot before grasping Deidara's ass hard and pulling him away from the wall. Deidara was panting as he nuzzled Itachi's neck, his legs still tight around his waist, his arms hugging Itachi's neck and letting out small groans as he was bounced against Itachi's body. He felt Itachi walk them through the house towards their room and he shivered with excitement. He was looking forward to giving his alpha the attention and release he needed.

============XOXOXO============

Itachi sat up in his bed, leaning against the head board, stroking the hair of his long blond haired mate, who lay sleeping beside him. Love bites littered the blonds body that was visible to Itachi, the rest covered by a light blanket. Itachi was currently content and sated. His mate had taken care of him during his feelings of despair while dealing with his little brother. Though the problem was still at hand, Deidara was the pinnacle for ensuring Itachi's mental state. He had thoroughly taken his mate several times, ensuring Deidara felt the passion of his love and devotion towards him, even though Deidara was also providing Itachi release, allowing Itachi to pound his thick swelled cock deep into his ass and mouth as heavy and hard as he desired. Itachi sighed deeply, he knew he truly loved his mate. He quietly leaned over to kiss Deidara softly on the temple before slipping out of the bed. He had texted Kakashi earlier, requesting him to drop by to discuss Sasuke. Itachi knew that Sasuke would be asleep for some time after dealing with his emotional and physical ordeal. And after the physical endearment he just put on his mate for the past hour or so, he would let Deidara rest.

After slipping on some lose sweats and a long sleeve shirt, he slipped out of the room to prepare some tea. He had just put the kettle on when Kakashi came in through the kitchen door.

"Good day Itachi, how's things," Kakashi spoke as he sat at the table.

"Kakashi," Itachi responded with a nod, bringing a couple mugs to the table and then sitting across from him.

"What's the intel?" Kakashi asked while raising his eyebrow at Itachi, noting that Itachi looked drained of energy. His age lines appeared darker and his eyes appeared tired. "You look like hell Itachi; I'd say you aged a few years since last week." Kakashi grinned behind his mask.

Itachi gave Kakashi a glare then snorting at his antics. "Sasuke had a mid-transformation today. The distress it caused him was physically and mentally agonizing on him. I do not know what triggered the shift, but it appeared to be disorganized, not to mention painful." Itachi stood to get the kettle that was now whistling.

"Hm, disorganized you say," Kakashi folded his arms across his chest as he pondered what Itachi explained. "Is he still taking his suppressants? He hasn't overdosed on them again has he?"

"Not that I am aware of and I am pretty sure he learned his lesson from the first time. My thoughts are, is this a result of the suppressants or should I be researching something else?" Itachi poured the hot water into a tea pot, bringing it to the table to steep.

"Hm, hard to say Itachi. I have not known of any other that wanted to suppress their wolf before. From what I see, Sasuke is the only one that has been on these experimental suppressants for several years. And these drugs are not even something that are on any market. I'm pretty sure any clan would not permit them to be used, _ever_ ," Kakashi spoke with a hushed tone while leaning back in his chair. "What do you think led to this dramatic shift today?"

Itachi poured tea into the two mugs on the table. He sighed as he added sugar to his tea, slowly stirring the liquid with his spoon. "I may have initiated the disruption," he added as he looked solemnly at his liquid, "I insisted that it was time to bond with his wolf. The pack was ready to go camping today and Sasuke naturally fought back and fled. Hidan gave chase and tackled him in mid-run through the bush. I needed to compel him in order to stop the chaotic mid-transformation." Itachi sipped at his hot beverage, the look of guilt across his face.

Kakashi grabbed his mug of tea, fondled it briefly while appearing to process the information. "Have you given more thought about my idea, with Naruto I mean?" Kakashi raised his eyes at Itachi, watching his reaction.

Itachi frowned. "I don't see how that would help the situation Kakashi. Sasuke isn't ready for any type of relationship if he cannot have a relationship with his wolf," he firmly stated while shaking his head.

"You know they don't have to have _that_ type of relationship Itachi. Get Sasuke out there to meet other wolves, to see what's out there, what the norm is within clans. Keeping him in the bar isn't giving him enough information on other keeping him away from other social norms is another form of suppression that clearly isn't going to do him any favours," Kakashi said bluntly. He hoped that maybe hearing the blunt reality of the situation would help sway Itachi's decision. "And Naruto's a good kid. He is close to Sasuke's age, well respected by his pack, and has shown his strong loyalties to kinsmen."

Itachi sat back, his shoulders slouching as he let out a sigh. "You know Kakashi, I'm almost at the point that I am willing to try anything. After Sasuke's bout with Orochimaru and then Sai, I cannot bear to lose him again. I just got him back and it has plagued my mind…what if he falls again and he is lost for good?" Itachi looked up with questioning eyes at Kakashi, his lips tight and brows furrowed.

"What more do you suggest, other than forcing him into something he clearly is going to fight? He is clearly still unstable and is comfortable utilizing any defenses to not have to negotiate with anyone. If this continues, if he keeps suppressing his wolf, pushing it further and further into the recesses of his mind, he will become a danger to himself and the pack. His stability will shatter and he could become feral. He was close once…if I recall…" Kakashi trailed off as he recalled the time when they retrieved Sasuke, after being in the hands of Orochimaru. "I think it's time for a new tactic, ne?" Kakashi looked up, his eyes wide and questioning.

Itachi focused on Kakashi's eyes, clearly remembering the time when they retrieved Sasuke. Itachi tightened his lips and inhaled deeply. His fingers wrapped around his mug, that still had some warm tea. "Let me think on it," he responded quietly, sounding defeated. Kakashi gave a small smile that crinkled his mask up.

"Let me do a quick visual on Sasuke, to ensure that no permanent damage was done during his mid-transformation," Kakashi stated as he stood.

"Hn," Itachi responded, now staring into his half empty mug of tea, as Kakashi made his way to Sasuke's room.

================XOXOXOXO=============

Naruto drove up to a heavily wooded area that housed an older style cabin, complete with wrap around porch and swing. The home was surrounded with forest, a perfect location for quiet and serenity. It was at least two hours from any major urban centre and a perfect getaway for those looking to just get away. Naruto hopped out of his jeep and took in a deep breath of fresh air. _'Ah, I can't wait to have a place like this of my own!'_ He smiled to himself and stretched his arms up high over his head. The two hour drive could make one stiff from sitting so long. He trotted up to the front porch, taking two steps at a time and rapping loudly on the wooden screen door.

"Who is it? I gave at the office!" A shriek came from the other side.

"Baa-chan! It's your favorite grandson!" Naruto yelled from the outside and he knocked sharply again.

"I don't have a favorite! I can only tolerate the knuckle head that I have now!" the voice hollered from behind the closed door.

"Aw common granny, don't be like that!" Naruto let out a whine.

The inside door flew open revealing a middle aged woman with full silver blond hair tied into a top messy bun on her head. Her breasts were bulging against her button up shirt, her slacks were wrinkled and her feet were covered with fuzzy slippers. She had a cigarette in her right hand as she placed her left hand on her hip and gave Naruto a glare. "Brat, I told you to call first," she grunted out as she unlatched the screen door.

"I called! You never pick up!" Naruto waved both his hands up in the air as he stepped into the cottage. He saw an elderly man sleeping in an easy chair in front of the television. Naruto slipped off his shoes and walked to the elderly man. He bent over, getting close to the elderly man's face, as if looking for something.

"Brat! Leave Jiraiya alone! You'll give him a heart attack if he wakes and see's you hovering in front of his face!" the busty silver blond called from the kitchen.

Naruto grinned and laid a kiss on the elderly man's forehead. "Hi old man, hope you are well," he whispered as he laid a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before heading to the kitchen.

"What brings you by brat? Come to lend me some money?" a boisterous laugh escaped her lips as she prepared a kettle, "tea?"

"Thanks baa-chan and I'm sure you have more money than me currently," Naruto huffed as he took a seat at the small breakfast table.

"I'm glad you dropped in, I need to update you on the convention coming up with various council members. You are to accompany me." It was not a request.

Naruto's mouth hung open and he blinked his eyes repeatedly.

"Close your mouth! You look like a big mouthed bass! You know this is part of your duty Naruto, as a pack leader, as an alpha." She took the whistling kettle and poured the hot water into a tea pot then brought it to the table.

Naruto snapped his mouth shut. That's right, he had to be responsible alpha now. He had only taken control of the pack for just over a year, and he knew there was a lot of responsibility, but he was so busy with work, uni, and there didn't seem to be any real threats from other nations, regions, species…

 ** _-Smack!_** -

"AYE! Hey!" Naruto rubbed his head. She smacked him on the head with a wooden spoon! "What's the big deal granny!" he pouted.

"You were spacing out, needed to bring you back to earth," she laughed as she sat at the table across from Naruto. She reached over to a drawer behind her and pulled out an envelope. She tossed it at Naruto, who quickly fumbled it around before getting a solid grasp on it.

Naruto looked over the elegantly styled black envelope. It had gold coloured borders and a broken seal at the back flap. Obviously granny had opened it already. Curious, Naruto opened the envelope and pulled out the thick insert. Written on the insert in calligraphy type style gold lettering, _Tsunade of the Uzumaki Clan_. The details listed below her large font name included the date, place and time of the gathering. The message indicated, in a polite manner, that she was expected to attend and bring her successor with her. Naruto's blue eyes looked up at Tsunade, who was currently pouring tea and not meeting Naruto's eyes. She finished pouring and sat back in her chair, grasping a tea cup and taking a sip. She then threw a glare at Naruto, as if she was expecting him to say something.

Naruto said nothing. In in mind he knew things like this was expected of him. He slowly placed the insert back into the envelope, handing it back to Tsunade. He then grabbed his tea cup, sat up straight and took a sip. His eyes stared into the table top as he thought about his role. Somewhere in his thoughts, he knew of his alpha responsibilities, but did he really know how to act on them? Would he know what moves to make if he was faced with a political dilemma; such as a war between clans, invading species, or attempts by international relations that may leave him facing a decision between preventing an armed attack or making the first strike? Naruto worried on his bottom lip as his mind provided several scenarios.

Tsunade watched Naruto carefully. She squeezed her tea cup and her lips curled into a smirk. She knew how Naruto was taking this news. He was always one to get fogged in a whirlwind of emotions, scenarios and at most times, his mouth went off as well. But she could tell that this struck a nerve somewhere in that big blond brain of his and he might actually be thinking more about his alpha role. She knew he was still young when she chose him for her successor, but there was something about him that she felt he could pull it off and most likely do amazing. _'He still has a lot of room to grow, but…'_ she thought to herself while Naruto sipped at his tea, his eyes flickering side to side, a sure sign that the left side of his brain was engaged in revelation. _'Worst case scenario? Well…let's make sure to never get to that point…'_ Tsunade shook her head from that last thought. She brought her palm down hard on the table top, making a sharp snapping noise and successfully bringing Naruto out of his stupor. Naruto blinked several times before focusing in on Tsunade's scowling face.

Naruto frowned slightly and sat back in his chair. His fingers still wrapped around his tea cup, he inhaled deeply and pinched his lips. "Okay granny. You know I'll be there," he sighed out. He then ran a hand through his blond locks. "You need to inform me of what to expect since this is my first… _council gathering_ ," he gritted out between his teeth. Naruto was not looking forward to attending a musty party filled with arrogant prudish stagnant figures that pushed their power around.

"I think you'll be fine brat, considering you can keep your temper to yourself. You'll need a suit or tux, and you will be expected to greet the neighboring and international nations with respect and dignity. You **_want_** to give the impression that you are a strong solid leader for the Uzumaki pack and most importantly, you don't want to embarrass the Uzumaki name!" Tsunade stood up so fast her chair toppled to the floor. Both hands were flat against the table top and her lips snarled directly at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes were wide as he took in his elder alpha's warning. He nodded his head briefly, then lowered his eyes. His hands on his lap, he waited until Tsunade released him. Tsunade snorted, then reached around to grab her fallen chair to bring it upright. "So then," she started as she maneuvered herself back into a sitting position, "what other interests have brought you by if you aren't lending me money?" She chuckled releasing a large grin and clasping both her palms together under her chin. She stared wide eyed and held a questionable friendly look, blinking rapidly like a ridiculous kawaii character from some anime show.

It took Naruto a moment to move past the sudden frenzy of temper that Tsunade displayed not seconds earlier. He looked up from his lap, realizing that the outburst was over and relaxed his shoulders. He straightened up and brought his hand to the back of his head, fingering his straw coloured locks. "Well, there's this amazing sexy alpha," Naruto giggled a little, "and I-I kinda…" Naruto stuttered, while his eyes looked anywhere around the room other than his granny.

"If you are like this at the convention, I'm going to have to smack some sense into you to get you to stop fluttering around like a timid baby bird!" Tsunade snorted out, her eyes rolling at the thought.

"Hey! Just give me a minute granny!" Naruto spat out. He tried to sound frustrated, but his heart wasn't into it. "Anyhow, I really like him and wanna… court him?" Naruto cringed as he recoiled his head into his shoulders, holding his forearms close to his chest and suddenly wringing his hands. He flickered a quick look up to Tsunade as if he expected her to come at him with teeth and claws bared.

Tsunade's eyes bore at Naruto hard, her jaw stiffened up and she slowly sunk back into her chair, lacing her fingers together and bringing her chin to rest on her fingers.

Naruto tried to make himself smaller and suddenly wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. Tsunade's stare was freaking him out! He didn't know what to expect now. Tsunade's temper was legendary and he himself did not want to be at the end of that stick, should she decide that courtship was not something she would accept for Naruto to do at this time. She was practically the only family he had left now, thus her opinion mattered greatly.

Tsunade chose that moment to move forward and rest her elbows on the table again. She stretched her neck further, her eyes practically melting at Naruto's core as she peered into his baby blues. "And…?" The word was simple, but not for Naruto. He tilted his head at her, a questionable look upon his face as he blinked at her.

"W-what?" he stammered out.

Tsunade let out a groan as she rolled her eyes and slapped a hand to her forehead. _'Of all the…!'_ she cried to herself. "And what is it **_you want_** me to do about it?" she responded as she waved her hand in a circle above her head. She flopped back against the back of her chair, arms folded across her chest and lips tightly closed while waiting for Naruto's response.

Naruto's eyes widened as his mouth formed a silent _O_. Tsunade raised her eyebrows at him, pushing him to speak. "Advice. Please baa-chan," Naruto whispered out, as he brought his hands together in a prayer like fashion and fluttered his eyelids at her.

Tsunade let out a grin. "Well, how hard was that to ask?!" She clapped her hands together hard so a vibrating wave erupted up and into the ceiling. The light fixture above the table rattled and bits of plaster fluttered onto the table. "Come on kid, let's hear all about it!" Naruto beamed at Tsunade and began his tale of Sasuke and his idea to court.

========XOXOXO======

Well, I hope that was suffice for now! Until next time :D


	6. Christmas meeting

Sasuke blinked his eyes a few times. _'Where…'_ His mind was a jumbled mess of confusion. He knew he was safe, in a comfy bed, but it took a few minutes to determine exactly where he was. _'I'm in my bed, my room…'_ He continued to mentally diagnose himself until he was able to focus on the room and a figure sitting in the arm chair in his room. _'Itachi…'_ The room was dark, it appeared to be dusk, or it was sunrise, either or, it didn't matter. Sasuke let out a small moan as he rolled onto his side. His back clicked and popped in several places, his muscles reminded him that lying dormant for too long wasn't approved. The side lamp popped on, Sasuke squinted at the sudden onslaught of light in the dark and Itachi came into view.

"Welcome back otouto," Itachi spoke softly, his eyes overseeing Sasuke's form.

"How long was I out for?" Sasuke rasped out. His throat felt like he swallowed a cheese grater.

"About 5 hours. How do you feel?"

"Like I'm the one who lost in a fight." Sasuke rubbed his eyes then slowly began to sit up, Itachi coming to his aid. Once settled against the head board, Sasuke eyed Itachi.

"What do you remember?" Itachi asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, his hand resting on Sasuke's forehead, testing his temperature.

Sasuke lightly slapped his hand away and huffed. "Pain."

Itachi checked Sasuke's forehead again, giving a low growl as a warning. Sasuke frowned, putting out his bottom lip in an almost pout while he allowed his brother to touch his forehead, his cheeks, then run a hand through his hair and ruffle it. Sasuke then threw both his hands up and started flapping his hands at Itachi like a pup playing with a string. Itachi chuckled as Sasuke huffed while trying to slap away Itachi's hand again.

"You suffered from a transformation that was disorderly." Itachi shook his head.

Sasuke turned his head, eyes wide at Itachi. "How…?"

"It wasn't easy, I had to enforce your wolf." Itachi watched Sasuke's expressions. Itachi had taught Sasuke all he knew about transformations and the dangers if you are not in control. Sasuke only transformed when he was forced to attend outings with the pack, therefore lacked full training, experience and of course, the full bonding with his wolf. Itachi sighed quietly to himself as he continued to watch Sasuke mull over what he had just heard.

Sasuke felt Itachi's eyes and he was hit with an invasion of guilt and remorse. He placed his face into his two hands, covering his eyes. He needed to not see the sorrow and disappointment in Itachi's eyes. Sasuke suddenly was overwhelmed with shame and felt he had dishonored his pack, anguish coming up his throat like bile and he hiccupped out a shaky sob. The mass emotions of disgust with himself of being a burden to his brother, his pack, had his eyes prickle with the promise of tears. He ground his teeth, trying to overcome the sudden emotional onslaught caused by his omega senses. He had caused his alpha to worry about his wellbeing, to be the disappointment of the pack and be the cause of the stress on his brother. The emotions continued to rip at his mental stability from his inner omega. _'I'm a failure! Not worthy! A burden to the pack! Good for nothing…'_ Sasuke couldn't hold it in anymore, thus, he wailed. He collapsed forward, his hands pulling at his hair, shoulders shaking as his sobs ripped through his lips, as he felt the onset of disappointment rip through his mental barriers like a flaming sword through paper. Tremors rippled through his body as he wailed, his sobs coming out in heavy breaths as they tried to expel faster than Sasuke could keep up. _'A burden…failure…hindrance…'_ his mind continued to abuse his self-worth as his skin shone with sweat and his body trembled with grief.

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around his body, a deep purr was rumbling through the air as Sasuke felt himself being lifted into a cloud of warmth. His hair was being stroked slowly, helping to release the pain pounding in his skull. His head was cradled to hear the loud soothing rumble of his alpha, his alpha's scent wrapped around him, holding him close, securing him and soothing the omega. Itachi rocked Sasuke in his arms, soothing him with his alpha sounds, brushing his fingers though the blue black locks and scenting the air. He murmured soothing words to Sasuke, till Sasuke's sobs and wails slowed to sporadic hiccups. Itachi looked down at Sasuke's tear stained face, noting his eyes were closed but he knew Sasuke was not asleep.

"Otouto…"

"Hmm?" Sasuke breathed out a slight response, still not opening his eyes. He was completely relaxed and surreal now, his body practically melting into a pile of goo.

"I'm so sorry. Sorry for pushing you, making demands when clearly you aren't ready…I – I just don't know what to do," Itachi whispered, his breath quivering. "I – I thought I was doing the best thing, but I have truly failed." Itachi closed his eyes as he rested a cheek on Sasuke's head and inhaled deeply the scent of his precious otouto. "If only you could understand how your wolf is a part of you, if you would just listen to it, let it in… I don't understand why you are so defiant towards it."

Sasuke opened his eyes. His hand reached up and touched Itachi's hair, giving him a gentle pat. Itachi moved his head as Sasuke shifted to sit cross legged in front of Itachi. He grabbed Itachi's cheeks and forced him to look into his eyes. Itachi could see the red rimmed eyes from tears, slightly puffy but the pupils focusing on him.

"You have never failed in my life Itachi," Sasuke spoke firm, "you are the strong one and I have been foolish. Don't ever think that you are a failure." Itachi gave a small weak smile as he looked into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke leaned his forehead onto Itachi's. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he whispered, "I don't know how nii-san, bonding I mean, how do I know it won't take over my mind and I lose who I am?"

Itachi's looked at Sasuke's face, feeling surprised that he would question the process. But it made sense. Sasuke was scared. He thought back. Had he ever explained how the bonding goes and what to expect? He doesn't think so…they were so focused on suppressing and masking the omega status within Sasuke, bonding was just…forgotten. With all the other training, Itachi had failed his little brother in the most important area, bonding. He felt an itching of guilt twinge his heart.

"I don't want to lose control of who I am nii-san."

"Sasuke. Your wolf is an entity that is a part of who _you_ are," Itachi explained as he stroked Sasuke's hair. "It is there for guidance, companionship and security, to name a few. There is nothing to be afraid of, I promise."

Sasuke leaned back, opening his eyes and focusing on Itachi's pure dark pupils. "Teach me to bond with my wolf. Fully," he gave out a strong huff, indicating his seriousness. "But I'm not stopping the suppressants. I – I don't…can't let father know. I'm not weak but – but I know he would never accept my omega status." Sasuke's voice dropped to a whisper.

"You don't know for sure Sasuke." Itachi hoped that someday Sasuke may tell their father, but, now isn't the time for that. "For the record, you were never weak." Itachi pulled Sasuke in for a squeezing hug. Sasuke endured it for several seconds until he began to flop his hands against Itachi to let him free. Itachi chuckled and released Sasuke, who was giving him a mocking glare. "Go shower otouto, then come down to eat. We get started on your training tonight!" Itachi rubbed Sasuke's hair and slipped out of the room, he had a smile on his face and felt lighter than he had in years.

 _-intermission-_

Training to bond was hard. Sasuke was mentally and physically exhausted every night for the past few weeks. Between uni, work, studying and the task of mentally and physically bonding with his wolf, Sasuke found himself passed out by 9 pm every night that he didn't work. And he had not even worked much, as Itachi felt that bonding and education was much more important. So with constant meditation and hot yoga, some new age technique Itachi felt worked wonders, there was the physical aspect of training, where Sasuke needed to concentrate on his transformations. During their trips, Sasuke would often painfully go through the transformation because it was expected of him. Because mentally he did not want to transform, the technique would always be riddled with pain throughout. Meditating to mentally bond, then concentrating on that mental bond to do the physical conversion was definitely harder than one may think. With several trial and error attempts, physical and mental fatigue for several weeks, Sasuke was finally in a better place mentally and physically by December.

Itachi wandered into a sitting room where Sasuke was sitting in a large arm chair, wrapped in a blanket, open book in his lap and gazing out the window. Itachi smiled, for he knew that was Sasuke's favorite sitting spot. Itachi then frowned as Sasuke absent-mindedly rubbed a spot on his shoulder. Itachi knew what that spot was. The mark left as a reminder of when Sasuke was lost to his pack. A dark and sad time for Itachi as he desperately tried to locate his otouto. Itachi shook his head as he walked towards Sasuke.

"Uh oh, I know that look," Sasuke smirked at Itachi.

Itachi stopped and his eyes widened. He then looked to the side and faked hurt. "How could you think that I have something to hide otouto?" Itachi whined his voice and gave a little pout, placing his fist over his heart, "oh how you pain me! Always doubting me!" Itachi placed the back of his hand on his forehead, dipping his head back, closing his eyes and faking sobs.

"Oh please nii-san," Sasuke rolled his eyes and chuckled slightly, "don't be such a drama queen. What is it you have to say?"

Itachi laughed and walked to stand at the big bay window. "We have an event to attend. The annual holiday gathering of clan members, council members and others," he explained while staring out the window. "Naturally, I'm expected to be there, and I would like you to accompany me." Itachi turned to watch his brother's reaction.

Sasuke gauged Itachi's face. Sasuke was familiar with the events, having attended a very small handful of gatherings in the past couple years, but they were often of small size, mostly council. Sasuke attended to get a grasp of the political aspect of the communities as well to meet a handful of other younger clan members. Ones that were closer to his age. Itachi had kept his meeting others to a strict age limit as well only a small number. They could not risk any of the elder clan and council members discovering Sasuke's secret, they would never understand. Itachi figures the newest generation of werewolves would have a better understanding of Sasuke's situation if he was ever discovered. "Should be no issues nii-san. I will attend." Sasuke got up from his seat and stood beside Itachi, looking out at the season. "Should be no problem at all."

============================XOXOXO============================

The grand hotel was dazzled out in Christmas directions on every inch of the place. Twinkling lights lit up the night sky in an array of green, red and whites, laced on every bush, tree and corner of the building. Light sounding music played through speakers hidden well within the foliage, classical Christmas music playing 24-7 to embed the Christmas spirit. Inside the grand hotel within the large lobby, a 20 foot tree stood tall and proud with its lights and glittering decorations. The tree was the pinnacle of the room. People would stare, with smiles and mouths open admiring the beauty and grandeur. Couples and families would have their pictures with it. It truly was a spectacle.

Naruto had made his way into the hotel with Tsunade about an hour ago, dressed sharply in his black tux, complete with matching tie and pocket square. His colours matched Tsunade's dress, as he was her successor and they were from the same clan. His hair was styled in a respectable waved position, the far cry from his fluffy untamed sunshine locks he usually wore on a daily basis. Naruto had fawned over himself after he had got ready at Tsunade's home. He stood at a mirror, admiring "how hot" he looked and asking Tsunade over and over if he really did look this good. She finally bopped his head and told him if he didn't get into the car that he would be spending his time babysitting the pups instead of being with the adults. Naruto felt good walking into the grand hotel with Tsunade on his arm as he led her to the grand ball room where the gathering of the clan heads, council members and random others were. He practically thought that he could handle anything at this gathering, he felt that good. _'Look good, then you feel good, he would grin to himself at this thought, while admiring himself in a mirror.'_ As he stayed connected to Tsunade, as it was expected of him, while they made their rounds, speaking to every clan head and council member, Naruto began to get bored. His good feelings turned into sluggish monotony and he was finding it increasingly difficult to be able to continue to smile and bow respectively to clan heads. His eyes found no comfort in glancing around the room to entertain himself, as it was just as festive in this room as anywhere else around the hotel. Naruto let out a suppressed sigh as he waited for Tsunade to finish chatting with yet another wrinkled legislator, or leader or baby-kisser or whatever! He couldn't recall what the old man's position was, but he wasn't in a position to care at this point.

"And this is my successor, Naruto Uzumaki." Tsunade touched Naruto's hand with her own to get his attention. Naruto turned his head to focus on who he was supposed to be greeting.

"Pleasure," Naruto responded politely and tilted his head in a short respectable bow.

The elder gentleman gave a short nod, indicating and accepting Naruto's respectful greeting. "Naruto-kun. Such a pleasure to meet you, Tsunade-sama here had spoken many times in meetings regarding you. I've heard great things."

Naruto gave a polite smile. "Thank you sir, I look forward to meeting with you again in the future."

Tsunade gave a smile and turned on Naruto's arm and whispered in his ear. Naruto nodded and directed them towards the bar. Naruto gave a small sigh of relief, mentally thanking whatever great force there was for allowing him to have a breather. The room was overrun with the scents of alphas and betas. The odd omega was about, usually on the arm of their mate or an employee for the hotel. Omegas that worked were not a common site. Omegas were expected to stay at their home, whether that be with their parents or their mate. Naruto mentally snorted. He hated how old lifestyles were still practiced. This was the 21st century for fucks sakes!

Naruto sat down at the bar, grateful to be able to sit for a bit when he felt a solid hand clutch his shoulder. Naruto let out a smile as he knew that scent. "Gaara," Naruto spoke with mirth in his voice as he turned around in his chair towards the palm on his shoulder.

Gaara gave a half smile and a twinkle in his green eyes as he nodded at Naruto and took a seat beside him. "Good to see you Naruto. I wasn't sure if you were going to be here today. Finally taking in the important side to pack leadership?" He let out a small chuckle.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Man, these events are simply amazing daw-ling," Naruto mimicked a poor southern accent in a sing song voice while flicking his wrist, "faw-bulous company, I certainly cannot wait till the games begin daw-ling!" Naruto let out a snicker and Gaara just snorted with a smirk. "Seriously, I don't know how people handle this!" Naruto outstretched his arm, flaring it out to motion the entire room. He grabbed his drink and took a gulp.

"Best to get a hold of what goes on here Naruto, so you won't be surprised in the long run," Gaara added while ordering a drink. Naruto just raised a brow at him and let out a snort. "So, how's things?"

Naruto sucked in his bottom lip and placed his drink down gently on the bar. His fingers lightly traced the condensation on the side of the glass as Naruto's eyes watched the drops fall, he focused on the beverage inside the glass for a moment before taking a breath and glancing at Gaara. "The pack is great, things are going well for everyone…"

Gaara tilted his head, his eyes watching Naruto appear to struggle with his next words. _'Naruto having troubles finding the right words? That's interesting…'_

"I'm doing alright in uni, solid B average I'm sure and work is awesome." Naruto continued to stroke the sides of his glass unconsciously, his eyes wandering from the glass to Gaara to the glass again. He then raised his hand and raked it through his golden locks, causing the neat style to now be razzed. Naruto realized what he did when he pulled his hand away quickly, "ah shit…"and he gave a half assed smile. He took in a deep breath, his shoulders raising as he did so before letting it out again and appeared to be slumping in his seat.

"Naruto?" Gaara asked attentively.

"Ah, nothing," he finally let out with a smile, "tell me more about what's been happening with you."

Gaara focused his gaze on Naruto, he knew that Naruto wasn't telling it all, but Gaara wasn't one to push. "Hn, nothing new but political parties and bullshit."

Naruto let out a hearty chuckle. "Seriously, how's your brother and sister?"

"Doing well. They are busy with their own political parties and packs."

Naruto eyes widened. "Woah, time flies." He ran a hand through his hair again, his face looking shocked at the news. "Seems like the times are changing all around, not the same pups around like the ones I grew up with." He leaned against the bar, leaning his head into his one hand, eyes glancing up at the ceiling as he exhaled a long breath.

Gaara tipped his glass up to Naruto, "here's to us then." He then tipped it back and finished the drink off, placing the empty glass on the bar top.

========================XOXOXOXO======================

Sasuke stepped out of the car, right behind Itachi, as they arrived at the hotel hosting the gathering. Sasuke scrunched his nose at all the Christmas lights and twinkling decorations. _'Seriously over commercialized.'_ He walked along side Itachi as they made their way indoors, acknowledging the vast Christmas tree with a glance before walking into the ballroom. Both brothers made their entrance cloaked in their black tuxes, trimmed to fit perfectly in all the right places. Their ties and pocket squares matching in their clan colour of blood red, their faces holding impassive looks, their large dark eyes intimidating yet their skin looked of unblemished marble that drew in looks of desire from many men and women who looked.

Itachi immediately moved about the room smoothly, as he glided from guest to guest, making small talk and motioning to his brother every so often. Sasuke, always held his expressions placid, keeping eye contact and nodding at appropriate times. He grabbed a flute of white wine when a server passed, his eyes flickering to the server briefly before focusing back on his brother and the elder. He knew that the server was an omega and he felt irritated as he watched alphas harass the server. Some sneered at the omega and appeared to try and dominate, others touched, pinched or grabbed areas that certainly weren't appropriate in Sasuke's thoughts. Sasuke turned quickly when he heard a sudden gasp from the omega server and the sound of a tray hitting the floor. Sasuke looked around others to see the omega on his knees trying to pick up the fallen flutes, the tray and wipe up the spill.

"Stupid shit, watch where you are going!" An older alpha, dressed in a black suit snarled at the omega quivering on the floor trying to gather the mess up. "Fucking omega, should be at home taking care of the house, not working," the elder alpha grumbled out while giving a short kick to the omega's thigh. It wasn't hard enough to bruise, but the intention was to make the omega feel inferior. Sasuke's anger flared at the obvious intent of domination that the elder alpha was demonstrating on the omega and he stepped forward.

"Hey asshole, what the hell is your problem?!"

Sasuke stopped his movement. He knew that voice. His eyes scanned the area and fell upon a golden head of hair stomping through the crowd of onlookers and getting directly into the face of the elder alpha that made a ruckus.

"Insolence! How dare you talk to me that way!" the elder alpha puffed up his chest and glared at Naruto. The elder alpha's eyes flared yellow at Naruto, warning him to back off. Naruto did not back down.

"You have got some nerve treating him like that!" Naruto pointed to the omega who was still trying to quickly clean up the mess. "What kind of alpha are you to treat others with such disrespect?! People like you make me sick!" Naruto spit out and brushed by the elder alpha, knocking his shoulder against his. He then knelt down beside the quivering omega who was having troubles picking up the mess due to his shaking body. "Hey, hey, are you okay?" Naruto asked the omega calmly as he picked up a couple flutes for the omega. The omega meekly nodded his head, not making eye contact with Naruto and fumbled to get the flutes on the tray, along with the sopping wet towels. "Let me help you, its alright, accidents happen right?" Naruto grabbed the omega's elbow and helped him to his feet. The omega bowed towards Naruto and quickly spun around, making his way through the crowd to the kitchen. Naruto turned and glared at the elder alpha. "Being a bully doesn't gain you respect and where I come from…"

"How _dare you_ speak to me in such a manner!" the elder alpha spat out, "I will have your title for this, you…you…"

"Enough!" A loud voice boomed out. People shushed immediately and gasped at the same time. Tsunade came waltzing through the crowd and stood between Naruto and the elder alpha. The elder alpha growled at Tsunade, bearing his displeasure for her interrupting. Naruto huffed behind Tsunade. Tsunade threw a quick glare at Naruto and bared her teeth before turning back towards the elder alpha.

"Danzo-sama, please excuse my grandson, he is in training and still learning about the roles of others. I promise he will be reminded _thoroughly_ of his place after this event." Tsunade glanced back at Naruto again, giving him a glare, which caused him to gulp and step back slightly. "Come, lets go meet with the syndicates that just arrived from overseas." Tsunade grabbed Danzo's elbow and gently led him away from Naruto. Naruto eyed Tsunade and Danzo as they turned away and he continued to glare at the elder alpha's back, letting out a snort.

"Always making a spectacle of yourself. Some things never change."

Naruto huffed and turned to look at Gaara, who was holding a drink out to him. Naruto nodded at his friend and took the drink. "Those old farts really piss me off when they think they can bully any omega around them. Their ways of thinking make me embarrassed to be an alpha leader."

Gaara hummed in agreement and took a swallow of his drink. "A good reason to start educating yourself on the views of political thinkings in council. Those old ones won't be around forever and who do you think is going to step up to take their places?" Gaara lifted an eyebrow and quirked his lips at Naruto.

Naruto stood silent. He appeared to be focused on a thought. Gaara snickered and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder to break the spell. Naruto looked at Gaara, blue eyes suddenly vibrant and practically sparkling. His face broke out into a huge grin.

"Your right! Holy shit your so right! No time like the present to get started eh?" Naruto patted Gaara on the back, "lets go chat some more about this." Naruto stepped through the crowd, Gaara following behind him.

Sasuke watched the blond blend into the crowd, now more curious about Naruto Uzumaki, as he had heard the entire exchange. Itachi floated up to Sasuke's side. "Well that was interesting. The most excitement I've seen here in years," Itachi let out a soft snicker. Sasuke looked at Itachi, his eyes questioning his comment. "What? I'm serious. These gatherings are horrendous for their entertainment values. The most action that happens at these gatherings is people drink to much. Considering our line of business, that's hardly entertaining, wouldn't you say otouto?" Itachi mused as he took a sip of his drink. Sasuke nodded and turned his head to watch where Naruto blended into the crowd. "Come otouto, we have several others to greet." Sasuke hummed in response, turning to follow Itachi into the crowd.

 _-intermission-_

Naruto stood near the dance floor, watching the elders continuously waltz through an array of classical music. He held back a yawn. He was so bored. He spent about an hour or so with Gaara, going over roles, responsibilities, classes and tutoring ideas, then he was called back to duty with Tsunade, meeting members from overseas and such. More bowing, smiling and pretending you are pleased to meet them and to be working with them in the future. Naruto cringed at the thought of working with the shallow minded elders who appeared to be afraid of change. Naruto giggled to himself. Now he knew what Tsunade was talking about, when asked about why she wasn't on council. Naruto glanced up at the dance floor again, it looked as if the classical stuff wasn't going to end anytime soon. He needed some air if he was going to stay awake. He headed to the patio doors situated on the other side of the room.

Naruto stepped out into the cool night air, closing the patio doors behind him softly. There was no one else out on the patio, _'perfect'_ he thought to himself. The patio was rather large with green vines shading the corners and a sitting table for two in each shadowed corner. Though the green vines were not green this time of year, they still were full vines from years of growth. Naruto took a deep breath, releasing his heated breath that turned to white mist when expelled into the cold air. Naruto smiled to himself as he moved to the railing that separated the patio from the back garden of the hotel. The Christmas lights flickered around the foliage, light Christmas music could be heard drifting up through the air, and Naruto focused on the moon. It was a clear night and the moon shone in its glory down on the garden. A scent moved across his nose. Naruto's eyes widened suddenly as he inhaled deeply. He knew this scent. Alpha, earthy and always laced with anger. "Sasuke," he spoke softly to himself. He turned, noting that there was still no one on the patio. His eyes turned back, overlooking the garden. He squinted and leaned far over the railing, as his nose chased the scent. _'He's in there, I'm sure of it!_ ' Naruto jumped the railing and trudged across the frosted brown grass into the gardens.

Sasuke wandered slowly through the rows of brush and empty flower beds, his hands shoved in his pockets. He needed to clear his mind, get away from the overwhelming thrums of people and scents. His inner wolf was content, having now bonded with Sasuke. The constant mental discomfort, physical pain in the form of headaches, migraines, nose bleeds and constant aches in his muscles and joints is finally no more. He took in deep breaths, admiring the glow of the moon and wondered to himself how come he didn't bond before. When one comes of age, the person will bond with their wolf within the first week. He ran a hand through his hair, wondering why he was ever so afraid of bonding. He took a deep breath as he felt his anxiety finally ease off. He certainly wasn't expecting to come across an old acquaintance at this gathering. Sasuke had froze and felt the goosebumps develop on his arms when his eyes locked on Orochimaru at the other side of the ballroom, who was holding a flute of wine, and animatedly talking to council member Danzo. The man still carries the title as a renowned scientist and researcher within the clans, though rumors were constantly spread about his " _research"_ work on werewolf biology. Though the rumors were always just that, rumors. No one could prove that Orochimaru did any harm towards the werewolf species, or any others, and many still went to him today for cures, medicines and advice. He was highly respected with many clan heads and was often still called upon by heads and officials for his medical consultations. Sasuke just shook his head at the thought. Though Sasuke did go to him during his rebellious stage, the time was still blank. Sasuke recalled running to him, desperate to seal away the wolf within him since he couldn't expel it. He rubbed his arms as he recalled the memory, willing away the guilt and goosebumps that formed. He felt his inner wolf release senses to sooth and relax him. Sasuke exhaled heavy, embracing the comforting sensations his wolf released. He stopped at a frozen pond and admired the beauty of the glass like ice.

Naruto hesitated as Sasuke came into his site. He could see that Sasuke was in deep thought, as his form stood at the frozen pond. The moon caressed Sasuke's form, giving him a delicate glow of beauty, that had Naruto gasp. His black locks shone in the moonlight, flickering highlights of deep blue when his hair moved in the slight breeze. Naruto's absorbed Sasuke's form, burning it into his memory, as he was afraid to move. Afraid that if he moved, Sasuke would bolt like a startled deer, never to be seen again. Naruto inhaled and caught Sasuke's scent. That deep earthy scent that verified his strength and gave Naruto goosebumps. The anger was laced within, but also with…with anxiety? Naruto's wolf quivered with unease, feeling the questionable trouble of emotions coming from Sasuke. Naruto watched the small puffs of air coming from Sasuke's lips and decided to make himself known. He stepped forward, slowly, but with enough noise to inform Sasuke of his presence.

Sasuke's chin suddenly tipped up as he caught the noise coming from behind him. His senses on sudden high alert. His wolf tripped his senses to bolt if it was danger, readied itself to hightail it out of there if it was someone that Sasuke did not want to see. He whipped his body around, tense and ready, to find brilliant blond hair and a robust body wrapped in a strapping black tux that perfectly highlighted the strong and brawny areas. Sasuke let out a gasp, as he had not expected Naruto to be so…built? before relaxing and then tensing up for a perfectly different reason, other than bolting. He felt his wolf release a suggestive emotion and Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes. He kept his charcoal black eyes focused on Naruto, his face placid as he waited to see what the blond alpha was going to say.

Naruto locked eyes with Sasuke and let out a smile. He stopped walking towards Sasuke when Sasuke motioned a step back, indicating that Naruto was close enough. Naruto took the hint well. He didn't want to appear as a threat to Sasuke, so he stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets, tilted his head and spoke, "evening Sasuke." He had not seen Sasuke for several weeks since the incident at the university. Though Naruto had been back to the bar a few times, Sasuke had not been working and Itachi wasn't giving a single hint of where Sasuke was or when he was returning. Naruto didn't even see Sasuke at campus, though he did try and seek him out, but to no avail. He did not let that worry him though, he knew he would find Sasuke soon enough, and here he was. He then faintly took in Sasuke's scent. The anxiety was no longer there, and Naruto relaxed. At least he didn't have to worry about Sasuke bolting at this moment. "So, how you been?" he asked while rocking on his heels, his hands now clasped behind him.

Sasuke stared at Naruto, assessing him carefully. He inhaled the scent of Naruto; alpha, fresh air and citrus like, laced with a tranquil feeling. Sasuke felt himself calming as Naruto radiated warmth. His wolf purred and rolled around in agreement. "As well as one could be at an event like this," he responded carefully, still not sure what to make of Naruto's quieter demure. It seemed so unlike him to be… quiet, for lack of a better word.

Naruto beamed a brilliant smile back at Sasuke. "Yeah, I hear ya! These gatherings can be so stuffy! It's a wonder how the elders can stay standing straight and awake for so long! I found myself aging faster the longer I stood there!" Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke felt the corners of his mouth twitch in a smile. _'The idiot is right about that!'_ he mentally chuckled. "Hn," Sasuke responded nonchalantly.

Naruto quickly assessed Sasuke. Calm, relaxed and appeared to be in a relatively good mood, despite the light scent of anger around him. "Say, Sasuke, would you…" Naruto suddenly worried at his bottom lip, his one hand went straight to the back of his neck and his fingers curled at his hair, threading it constantly through his fingers. It was obvious he was nervous, as his eyes went to the ground then back up to Sasuke and down again. "Would you like to, like…umm…" _Damn it! What the hell is wrong with you?!_ Naruto mentally cursed himself. His heart rate sped up like he was running a marathon. He felt his forehead release a slight sweat and suddenly his collar was to tight. He glanced up at Sasuke who was giving him a questionable look. He pulled his one hand down hard and wiped his palms on his pants slightly, trying not to attract attention to what he was doing. "Would you like _togoforlunchwithme?_ " Naruto tumbled out of his mouth and he suddenly let out a big sigh. Sasuke's eye widened with confusion as he moved back half a step, he was suddenly cautious.

"Want to try that again dobe?" Sasuke responded, slight humour in his voice, trying to defuse the confusion as he smirked at him. He felt his wolf let out a mental shiver of amusement. Yes, his wolf was amused of the proud alpha. Sasuke found himself amused more while in the presence of this loud-mouthed blond, _and attractive_ , alpha. Sasuke mentally whipped his wolf for suddenly bringing that thought up, not amused right now!

Naruto ran a hand through his hair this time. He inhaled deeply, hands clenched at his sides briefly, then he brought his brilliant cobalt eyes to lock onto Sasuke's deep depth coal coloured ones. Sasuke inhaled suddenly, the essence of confidence stemming off Naruto, mentally smacked him back.

"Sasuke, would you please join me for lunch?" Naruto managed to speak clear and firm. His blue eyes watching Sasuke, waiting for a response.

Sasuke just stared at the blue eyes, his face remained an emotionless marble, as the moonlight reflected off his skin. His wolf shuddered suddenly, as if pushing Sasuke to make a move. Sasuke blinked and resurfaced his thoughts on what Naruto had just asked. _'Lunch? With this idiot? Um…'_ Sasuke suddenly found himself in a position that he wasn't familiar with, uncertainty. He was hesitating, which was also unlike him and he found himself breathing quickly to offset the unfamiliarity of the situation. "Lunch? With you?" he decided to answer the question with a question to buy himself some time. He felt his wolf rub his sensory areas, sending shivers of…anticipation? Sasuke wasn't to familiar yet with all the sensory areas his wolf gave off. _'Give me a break! Give me time to get it!'_ Sasuke mentally scolded his wolf.

Naruto smiled softly, his eyes gentle as he stepped towards Sasuke. "Well, yeah! I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want it to be with me!" He stopped again, thrusting one hand in a pocket and the other through his hair as he waited for Sasuke's answer.

Sasuke felt a blush cross his nose. He mentally smiled to himself, his wolf urging and pushing these new emotions to the surface. He lowered his gaze to the ground, having his hair cover the top half of his face, too embarrassed of the rising heat in his cheeks and the fluttering in his stomach. _'Jee-zuz! Calm the fuck down! What is wrong with me!?'_ Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek to get control. He took a hard breath and brought his chin up firm and focused his gaze at Naruto. His heart suddenly clenched painfully as he felt bile rise to his throat, a sudden flash of anxiety struck his system and he fought to keep breathing normally. He suddenly hardened his eyes while staring at Naruto, "that's funny, I'm pretty sure I told you I'm to much for you. Your better off chasing those who will roll over at the call of a whistle." He smirked hard at Naruto, but inside his wolf was grieving.

Naruto frowned at Sasuke's response. Did he read him wrong? He was sure that just a moment ago Sasuke was certainly going to accept. He inhaled the sudden anxiety that came from Sasuke. _'What the? Did I say something wrong?'_ Naruto racked his brain, going over their conversation.

"Sasuke-kun. How good to see you again," came a deep sugary sounding voice from behind Naruto.

Naruto raised his eyebrows and turned to see a tall slender man coming from the shadows. His hair was black and long, matching his long face, his skin was pale with dull yellow eyes and he licked his fake smiling lips as he strode towards the two boys. Naruto suddenly shuddered at the appearance of this man and his wolf rubbed off a mental warning call. The man looked at Naruto and gave a small smile.

"Oh so sorry for interrupting! And you are?" The pale man stopped by Naruto and tilted his head in question.

Naruto quickly glanced at Sasuke, who appeared suspended and tense. His eyes remained hard and uncaring, lips tight and standoffish. Naruto raised a brow at this Sasuke who suddenly replaced the softer at ease Sasuke whom he was talking to not a minute ago. _'Wonder what this man is to him?'_ Naruto looked back at the elderly man and gave a shallow bow, "Naruto Uzumaki sir, pleasure to meet you. And you are?"

"Uzumaki-kun! Ah Tsunade's successor. Pleasure indeed! I am Orochimaru Sanin. Long time acquaintance of Tsunade. I've heard about you and expect great things indeed from you." Orochimaru's eyes squinted shut as he licked his lips into a smile, folding his hands together in front of him. Naruto mentally shuddered.

"Thank you for the kind words sir, I look forward to working with you in the future," Naruto politely purred out in practice and gave a small bow again.

Orochimaru turned towards Sasuke, brushing off Naruto. "Sasuke-kun, how have you been? I haven't seen you for some time." He began to walk towards Sasuke, who didn't move and kept his dark eyes fixed on Orochimaru's face as he stopped inches from him.

Naruto watched the sudden interaction and noted that Sasuke appeared frigid, almost lifeless while Orochimaru got into his personal bubble.

"I have been well Orochimaru-sama, thank you for asking," Sasuke responded giving a small nod of his head. He remained in an austere state.

"How I have so missed our…conversations, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru pulled one of his fingers up to Sasuke's cheek and ran a fingertip down to Sasuke's jawline, "perhaps you can drop by soon and we can…catch up? Certainly there is some excitement or good news…you would like to share?" Orochimaru licked his lips as he trailed the back of his hand up the other side of Sasuke's face and up the opposite cheek. Sasuke stood perfectly still, his eyes focused on Orochimaru's face.

Naruto had had enough. He grit his teeth hard. "Sasuke and I were just heading back to the party Orochimaru-sama. Care to accompany us?" Naruto spoke up clear and forceful, this situation did not sit right with him at all, and his wolf agreed as it mentally paced, huffing and grunting in frustration. He moved slightly closer to Sasuke, his eyes focused on Orochimaru.

Orochimaru clicked his tongue while bringing his hand back down away from Sasuke's face to rest with his other hand, lacing his fingers together and covering them with his long jacket sleeves. "Ah, I was just getting ready to leave when I had seen Sasuke-kun here. I just wanted to portray my season's greetings to him, as it has been some time since I had last seen him." Orochimaru turned to Naruto, "and seasons greetings to you as well Uzumaki-kun." Orochimaru then gave a nod and began to walk back towards the hotel. Naruto let out a long breath and felt his hands release, his palms tingling as his nails had left crescent moon shapes in his skin. He didn't realize his hands were clenched so tight. He watched the back of Orochimaru to ensure he was indeed heading back to the hotel before turning back to Sasuke. His scent was that of anger and frustration, his face was still rigid, his jaw stiff and eyes cold and hard.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?" Naruto shuffled slightly to face Sasuke more, watching for any reaction and being careful not to get into his personal space.

Sasuke blinked suddenly and turned to look at Naruto. He saw the concern in the blue eyes and instantly felt vulnerable. He despised the feeling instantly. _'Fuck!'_ Sasuke harbored his vulnerability and grasped the anger he felt of himself and brought it up front to feed from it. He ground his teeth and began to glare at Naruto. "I'm fine!" he spat out at Naruto and began to walk towards the hotel.

"Wait, Sasuke!" Naruto reached out and grabbed Sasuke by the wrist. Sasuke whipped his head back, his eyes flashing red, promising pain and fury, thus Naruto let go quickly. "Hey…hey, I get it, your okay," Naruto held his hands up in surrender, "about lunch…"

"No." And with that, Sasuke spun on his heel and stormed off towards the hotel, leaving Naruto stunned and gaping after him.

Naruto watched Sasuke fade into the shadows, his mouth hanging open, his body frozen on the spot and his eyes wide with confusion. "What just happened?" Naruto said aloud and scratched his scalp suddenly, trying to put the puzzling pieces together. He lowered his eyes as he thought about where they were at, then when that creepy elder showed up and now this. He was sure that Sasuke was going to say yes to a lunch, but… Naruto shook his head hard. He would figure it out but needed to be in a better frame of mind. He hoped that Tsunade was finished and they could leave. Suddenly he was very tired. He would find Sasuke in a better mood again, perhaps at the bar and ask him out again. He wasn't about to give up just yet. He smiled to himself and made his way back to the hotel.

Sasuke headed straight for the bar when he reentered the ballroom. His anger radiated from him and several persons stepped out of his way, giving him wide girth. He ordered a straight up scotch and did not hesitate to slam it back then motion for another.

"Can't appreciate the full flavor if you just let it bypass all the sensory areas," a deep silk voice resonated from behind him.

"Fuck off Gaara," Sasuke spat out before downing another scotch.

"Hn. Just saying there are better drinks to use for what your questing for," he smirked and sat down at the bar, glancing at his own scotch and rocks.

Sasuke chose not to answer. He signaled for another scotch, but this time gazed at the liquid in his glass for a moment.

"He get to you yet?" Gaara asked while swirling his ice in his glass a bit before taking a sip. He didn't look in Sasuke's direction, but he knew he was heard.

Sasuke didn't respond. He continued to examine the contents of his glass, appearing deep in thought.

"You may not want it to happen, but it just does. You seen what happened tonight. That's him in a nutshell. He will be unforgotten now. Unforgotten by everyone that was involved, everyone that had seen, hell…even the ones that hear the story. It can be a blessing and a curse. There will be those out there that want to harm him because of what he is, but…because of those who care about him for what he is, they will protect him." Gaara took another swig of his drink, "until next time, be well." Sasuke looked up at Gaara when he stood from his stool, Gaara nodded and walked away.

"Well done otouto, the night is finally over." Itachi came from the other side and took a seat beside Sasuke. He focused on Sasuke closely, "has something happened?"

"Orochimaru spoke to me," Sasuke replied quietly.

Itachi growled lowly and ground his teeth. He knew of the man and his reputation, his ability to show his _expertise_ of werewolf species to the clan heads and politicians to gain their respect and approval. And of course, he knew of the rumors about the dark side of his so called expertise and how there is no evidence of his dark experimental ways. Though after finding Sasuke in the state he was in and knowing Sasuke was with him, Itachi would never trust Orochimaru ever. He didn't need hard evidence. "What did he want," Itachi spit out quietly through his clenched teeth.

"He wanted to _catch up_ some time," Sasuke forced out the sickening words to his brother, "making like we were old friends, since Naruto was with me."

Itachi's eyes widened. _'Well, thank goodness for that. Guess I'll owe that pup a thank you later.'_ Itachi let out a breath of relief.

"He left after Naruto said something about going back to the party. I was frozen nii-san, I couldn't move, I'm still so fucking weak!" Sasuke squeezed the glass he was holding and clenched his other hand into a fist, shaking it slightly as he spat out his feelings of disgust. He hung his head, hiding his eyes as they squeezed shut and he panted heavily through clenched teeth.

Itachi placed a hand on his shoulder, giving Sasuke a squeeze. He leaned in close to Sasuke's ear whispering harshly, "you're not weak otouto! Stop beating yourself up! Things take time." Itachi squeezed his shoulder again before standing, "it's time to head home."

Sasuke took a few deep breaths, willing himself to calm down. His wolf pawed at him mentally, concerned about the sudden onslaught of anxiety. Sasuke smiled to himself and mentally thanked his wolf for the concern. He stood and followed Itachi through the crowd heading for the exit, as twinkling blue eyes watched his retreat.


	7. Chapter 7

Sasuke poured alcohol into a tall glass filled with ice. He then grabbed lime juice and 7-up, blending them together into the glass. He squeezed a slice of lime over the liquid, dropping another slice into the drink afterwards. He grabbed at a bill and slid the drink to the waiting customer. His face gave no smile, no sparkle of a flirt, just a nod of the head and he went on to the next customer.

It had been a couple weeks since the Christmas gathering and Sasuke still shuddered slightly. He frowned, feeling disgusted with his body's reaction towards Orochimaru's presence. He should be over that for fucks sake! He snorted and focused on with mixing drinks. The club was hopping tonight, as per usually for most Friday nights. The music blasted in techno glory, a guest DJ, Killer B, was in the house, attracting several patrons and packing the dance floor. The lights were an array of colours, flickering to the beat and the mist being released onto the floor, giving the soft glow. Sasuke sneezed. He hated that fake fog shit. He turned his head when he heard a commotion at the end of his bar.

Sasuke could see a woman attempting to pull her arm away from a larger man, giving the man a glare and hissing something through clenched teeth. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and walked towards the two patrons. The woman was wearing a respectable dress with jean jacket. The man, wearing a suit and tie, most likely a business man, was still gripping her arm.

"Oh come on sweety. You smell divine and you know you can't refuse me." He pulled her hard and she stumbled against his chest. He dropped his face into her hair, inhaling deeply.

Sasuke could see the woman was putting up a good façade to look annoyed, but he could see the fear in her posture.

"Excuse me! Leave me alone!" she hissed out again, yanking her arm from his grip, but failing. His grip was just to firm.

"Come here, _omega_!"

"Your hurting me! Leave me alone!" the woman began to panic, fear evident in her voice.

Sasuke growled. He could smell that the woman was an omega and the man was a typical thick headed, self-centered, and extremely arrogant alpha.

"Listen here _omega,_ " the man snarled into the woman's ear, "you are dependent on strong healthy alphas like me to protect you and ensure you are settled with a mate, produce a healthy pack and _I can certainly help you there_." He licked his lips, his eyes flashed as his other hand grabbed her shoulder, turning her front into him. The woman now fought to control her shaking and tried to give a defiant glare at the alpha.

"Get with the 21st century you prick!" the woman spit out at him, as she tried to raise her free hand to strike at him. Her eyes widened when the alpha stopped her hand from landing a blow. He glared his teeth at her, releasing a warning low growl.

Sasuke stepped forward. "Excuse me sir, drink?" He managed to not growl and bare his teeth at the imperious asshole of an alpha. He kept his eyes steady on the alpha, and raised his brows slightly, a silent gesture of question.

The man in the business suit snapped his head towards Sasuke, his eyes now assessing the bartender in front of him. Sasuke knew that the alpha was determining if Sasuke was a threat or not to him, still Sasuke held his ground straight and proud. The alpha snorted at Sasuke. "I'm fine. No need." He waved his hand up and down, an obvious dismissal directed towards Sasuke.

Sasuke directed his eyes to the young lady. "For you miss?" he asked lightly and softened his eyes at her. Her soft green eyes looked up at him and Sasuke saw the uneasiness in her eyes. Sasuke leaned forward slightly and tilted his head so his ear was cocked towards her. She opened her mouth to speak.

"She doesn't need anything, we are leaving," the business suit asswipe responded sharply, giving a sharp tug on the young woman's arm.

"Leave me alone!" the woman spat out and struggled to pull her arm away.

"I'll teach you some respect you disrespectful brat of an omega!" the man snarled out and raised his hand, an apparent move to strike the young woman. The hand remained motioned to strike, the man surprised to find it held back. "What the hell…" Sasuke had moved quickly to subdue the business suit asswipe's arm, successfully stopping the strike by gripping his wrist.

Sasuke sneered at the man, "I don't appreciate how you are talking to the young lady. Leave or I will make you."

Business suit asswipe bared his teeth at Sasuke. "How _dare you!_ Release me, unless you want a challenge!" He let Sasuke continue to hold his wrist but made a fist, an attempt at showing strength.

Sasuke held his gaze at the man, still holding the wrist, "Not interested. Time to leave."

The man wretched his arm free from Sasuke, released the omega from his grip and placed both hands on the bar top edge. His eyes turned yellow as he stared across the bar at Sasuke, his hands gripping the edge of the bar and he bared his teeth. A menacing deep growl erupted from business suit cad's chest and a scent lingered of a challenge. People from all around the bar glanced in the direction of the disturbance, some quickly stepped away from the alpha releasing the scent. Beta's and omega's would shy away from such a scent, where alpha's would often look or wander over to see what was happening. The alpha's hackles began to poke up slightly at the back of the man's head as his growls continued. "Come then, bring it!" the asswipe in the business suit spat out towards Sasuke.

Sasuke continued to just stare, face impassive, his black eyes watching the arrogant alpha ' _fluff his feathers,_ ' Sasuke thought, mentally laughing to himself. He felt the flutter of his wolf agree with his humour.

"Bring it you little shit alpha! Let me teach you a lesson in how to be a real strong alpha!" the cocky alpha brought his hands to his chest, tapping himself, as if he was a gorilla. His face was flushed as he sputtered out and stepped back from the bar, goading Sasuke with hand gestures, trying to entice Sasuke to come out from behind the bar. Sweat started to speckle the man's face, his hair appeared to grow, the man shook himself and started to snort loud huffs, his eyes blazing yellow and he hunched over slightly.

"Time to cool off." A large hand slapped the business suit cad's shoulder. The man had to look up at the tall immense shouldered beta, who smiled down at him with pointed teeth. "Let's go _sir_ ," Kisame said through his smiling pointed teeth, giving the alpha a firm squeeze on the shoulder and held out his arm, pointing in the direction of the exit. The alpha gave Kisame a glare.

"This alpha," the man seethed through his teeth while tilting his head in the direction of Sasuke, "had no right to interfere with an alpha disciplining his omega." The pompous alpha snorted, his eyes starting to dull.

Kisame glanced at Sasuke, then to the omega woman who stood against the bar, holding her arms close with her hands, obviously shaken. Kisame frowned as he brought his eyes back to the pretentious alpha. The alpha kept his eyes on Kisame, not backing down from his belief that he was in the right. Kisame moved quick and grabbed the man by his collar, bringing his face inches from the alpha by lifting him up to his toes. He curled his lips into a snarl, showing off his pointed teeth and his eyes flashed red at business suit man. "Physical abuse is not tolerated in this establishment. And that's what it is when you raise your hand to anyone! Alpha, beta, omega, human, whatever! _And. . .Abuse!_ " Kisame deep growling voice rumbled through the man, and others that were nearby.

Goosebumps rose on Sasuke's skin when he felt Kisame's deep intimidating voice waves, he couldn't imagine what sort of reaction would be going through anyone that was right beside Kisame when his voice thundered deep like that. Sasuke stood at his station, watching while Kisame escorted out a stammering irritated and ignorant dressed in a business suit alpha from the club. Sasuke crossed his arms and gave a snort. _'Alpha's are all the same…'_ He put together a drink and handed it to the omega woman. "On the house," he nodded and gave her a soft look when she returned a nod and a gracious smile. He turned to return to his duties when he was shocked stock-still as he found gleaming blue eyes staring right at him. Naruto sat at the other end of the bar, his chin resting upon his hand, a proud smile on his face as he kept his brilliant blue sapphires zeroed in on Sasuke. Sasuke straightened his shoulders, fisted his hands and gave a hard glare towards the blond alpha. He found his feet and moved towards a customer to his right side, adamant on ignoring the blue eyed alpha, even though he felt his wolf vibrate some mental sensory areas that ended up giving him a shiver up his back. He caught a whiff of citrus and allowed his mind to quickly indulge in the scent while making a customer's drink. When the customer left, he turned to face the blond who continued to smile at him. Sasuke folded his arms across his chest, leaned against the bar and frowned at Naruto. He tried to keep up the platonic stare, but the flashing club lights created a dazzling display of sparkles and colours in the golden locks of Naruto's hair, that Sasuke couldn't help but watch and be entranced. Blue eyes sparkled with amusement and Sasuke was suddenly aware that he 'spaced out'. Naruto was grinning now at him and Sasuke suddenly felt the heat rush up his neck.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto beamed out and gave him a two finger salute, "how about a drink?"

"Piss off," Sasuke gave a frigid response, but it lacked the frosty bite that should have went with it.

"Aw, is that any way to treat a customer?" Naruto gave a small fake pout.

"Piss off _sir,_ " Sasuke responded sharper with emphasis.

Naruto chuckled to himself and leaned over the bar motioning Sasuke to come closer, "there's that fire and lightening alpha that lured me in. I'll have a cosmo please!" Naruto sat back on his stool, smiling broadly at Sasuke. Sasuke snorted then turned around to start making Naruto's drink. He didn't want Naruto to see his blush and smile.

Naruto sat at the end of that bar and chit chatted with Sasuke whenever he could. If Sasuke had to attend a customer, Naruto would patiently wait till he was able to talk to him again. Though it was Naruto who did most of the talking, but he didn't mind. He talked about local sports, the weather, the snowstorms in Canada, anything to keep Sasuke looking at him. Though Sasuke only responded with grunts, glares, nods, and the occasional few insulting words, Naruto felt success at being able to hold onto the dark eyed beautiful man's attention. Naruto felt he accomplished something.

About an hour later, Itachi wandered through the crowd over to Sasuke's bar. Itachi motioned to Sasuke, catching his attention and held up his wrist, tapping it several times. Sasuke nodded his head when Itachi then held up three fingers than closing into fist and then to open up to five fingers. Again, Sasuke nodded to Itachi and finished making a row of drinks that he was in the middle of doing. A lean muscular orange coloured haired man with several facial piercings strolled in behind Sasuke and tapped his shoulder. Sasuke nodded, wiped his hands and made his way out from behind the bar. He headed straight for the door leading outside.

Sasuke stepped out into the chilly night air, taking a deep breath and ducking around the corner into a quiet alley. He leaned against the brick wall, relieved of the fresh air and quiet around him. All nights in the club can become overwhelming on the senses. He rested his head against the bricks, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. He rubbed his temples slowly and felt his wolf perk up when he heard his name being called.

"Sasuke? Hey, are you okay?" Naruto peeked his head around the corner, then slowly walked around the building, stopping a few feet away from Sasuke.

"Hn, just needed some air on my break," Sasuke gave a nod and released a breath he was holding.

"Good plan," Naruto smiled with his response and rocked back and forth on his heels. He made sure not to get into Sasuke's personal space and just enjoy being in his company. A few minutes passed and Naruto began to bounce slightly on his feet, as he was never one for standing still and being quiet for long. His hands were tucked into his pockets and he continuously glanced at Sasuke then the ground. He worried on his bottom lip for a moment and took a deep breath. "Say, Sasuke…" Sasuke glanced his way. "Here," Naruto sternly spoke out quick and thrust out his left hand, which was loosely closed and facing up. Sasuke tilted his head and gave Naruto a questionable look. Naruto opened his fingers slowly, until his palm was open and Sasuke looked down into his hand. "This is for you," Naruto spoke quietly, his blue eyes wide watching Sasuke, his arm steady, and he held his breath as he waited.

Sasuke eyed Naruto's hand, his mind questioning what this was, before he scented the citrus fresh smell that was Naruto. He felt no hostility nor fear from the blond, only tranquility, therefore his wolf pushed him forward to take the small object out of Naruto's hand. Sasuke open his own hand and placed the object onto his palm. The creamy white and grey swirled colour reflected spectacularly against the pale marble contrast skin of Sasuke. Sasuke took his finger and rolled the object around his palm, his eyes following the smooth surface.

Naruto lowered his hand and let out a long breath. He smiled softly as he watched Sasuke investigate his gift. "It's a Tahitian black pearl from a Black-lip pearl oyster," Naruto explained. Sasuke stopped rolling the small pearl in his palm and his coal coloured eyes widened as he looked up at Naruto. "It reminded me of you in so many ways," Naruto said quietly as he blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head nervously. Sasuke continued to just stare at Naruto. Naruto dropped his arm and stood up straight. He put on a grin and shoved his hands back into his pockets. "Well, thanks for the night Sasuke. It was good seeing you again!" And with that, Naruto held up his hand as he started to turn away, "I'll see you around!" he called out, as he turned out of the alley and walked away.

Sasuke just stared at the empty spot where Naruto just was. He glanced at the pearl in his open palm, his finger instantly going to it and rolling it around in his hand, then he looked up to where Naruto had walked away. His wolf released some sort of affection sensory, that had Sasuke feeling loss yet excited at the same time. Sasuke shook his head, not completely understanding the emotions his wolf stirred up. The citrus scent from Naruto lingered lightly and Sasuke instantly inhaled it in, feeling serene immediately. He felt himself smile slightly and he leaned back against the brick wall, his fingers closing around the small pearl, keeping it safe.

A car pulled off the street and into the alley where Sasuke was standing. His eyes opened immediately and focused on the dark car with tinted windows coming towards him. His muscles were at sudden alert, his wolf releasing warning signals and preparing for anything as Sasuke hardened up his features as he appeared inconspicuous. He began to pat his pockets to appear he was looking for something while the car got closer and appeared to slow down. Sasuke pulled himself away from the wall and turned to make his way back to the street. The tinted window at the back of the car began to roll down and Sasuke caught several mixed scents of different blood types. Not just any blood, werewolf blood. The hairs on his arms stood up as he forced himself not to make a face at the repulsive blood scents overwhelming his senses. The scents were of different strengths; some fresh, many old and moldy smelling, which could only mean one thing, death. Sasuke continued to take steps towards the street, when a voice called out from the open car window.

"Excuse me young man."

Sasuke tried not to panic, there was a good chance these people weren't hunters, as humans had their own type of packs too. They could be human gang members. He stopped slowly and tilted his head to the side, raising a brow, keeping his face hard as he looked into the darkness of the car. His hands were tucked into his pockets, his fingers stroking the pearl in one pocket, the other hand grasping at the fabric inside the other pocket.

"I'm afraid we have taken a wrong turn," a male's voice came floating out of the car, "can you give us a hand in pointing us in the right direction?"

Sasuke could smell at least four different male human scents mixed with blood. He shuddered as he tried to give a look towards the darkness inside the window that showed he didn't care. Though inside his wolf was triggering all the areas that screamed danger, run, hide, escape, practically everything that didn't help him very much when he was trying his best to look like a disgruntled drunk human! Sasuke mentally screamed at his wolf to _'calm the fuck down!_ ' as Sasuke released a loud snort and gave the hardest sneer on his lips he could. "Not from 'round here, may wanna ask at a store," Sasuke responded in a voice that he hoped sounded somewhat tipsy. "Good luck, I gotta catch up to my friend before he freaks out." He gave a two fingered salute and Sasuke began walking away from the car. The engine noise of the car muffled the sounds of heavy clad feet speedily come up behind him and grab his arms. "What the fuck!" Sasuke growled out as he turned around, striking at the figures that grabbed him. There was at least two that were able to secure his arms and Sasuke found himself being slammed into the brick wall, an arm quickly pushing solid against his neck holding him and not one but two other persons each holding an arm against the wall. With the man pressing his body into Sasuke's, his beefy arm pushing against this throat, Sasuke found himself trapped. His wolf howled in agony and fear deep in his mind, while Sasuke grit his teeth and huffed harshly and loud at the captors. He squinted his eyes at his captors, portraying that he was not pleased. "Let me the fuck go! Asshole! Fucking pricks! What the fuck is…" Sasuke yelled out while thrashing and struggling to get free of the holds.

"Quiet boy!" A harsh command came and a swift punch to Sasuke's gut followed. The pain and impact had Sasuke suddenly heave for hurtful breaths, his eyesight speckled in black spots, his knees buckled as he tried to compress into the pain. The men held Sasuke up, and the bulky arm pushed up into Sasuke's neck and chin, forcing him to stand up straight. "Is that anyway tah talk tah those in need? Hmm? We just lookin for some directions," a husky voice spit into his ear, "kids today, so fuckin rude." The other figures chuckled around Sasuke as he tried to focus on the men around him, breath through the pain and hold onto the anger. "What's yer name kid?" the voice spoke again at his ear.

"F-fuck off!" Sasuke managed to growl out. Another hit to his gut had shards of pain travel up through his body, blacking his vision and dangerously getting close to passing out. Sasuke ground his teeth together and panted hard and loud through his teeth, drops of spit spraying. He could feel the drool dripping from his lips as he struggled to stay conscious. The foul breath from the captor helped keep him awake and Sasuke couldn't help but gag at the thought.

"Don't play so hard tah get," the husky voice chuckled. "Jus' wanna make sure yer name is as pretty as yer face." Thick fingers grabbed Sasuke's hair and forced his face to look up. Sasuke's eyes were half lidded, as he struggled to focus and keep conscious.

"HEY! What's going on over here!" A heavy deep voice resonated through the darkness, promising whomever was behind it was obviously large. The men looked over as a towering muscular man came in large strides around the corner into the alley. His skin glinting a blue and his teeth were pointed, his lips curled into a snarl as eyes zeroed in on the men holding Sasuke. Hidan came in close behind Kisame into the alley, his glare also showing anger and the promise of pain. " . **Now!** " Kisame bellowed out as he and Hidan took long solid strides towards the men, their fists clenched hard, their eyes focused securely on the men. Their posture meant business and their aura emanated with outrage.

The three men decided to drop Sasuke and hightail their asses back to the car. They jumped into the car and it sped off quickly, spitting up gravel and coughing out exhaust. Kisame and Hidan ran straight for Sasuke who slid to the ground, unable to hold himself up.

-XOXOXO-

A figure sat behind a desk in the dimly lit room, the top of the desk having several sizes of jars scattered all over and fingers slowly turned pages in a book. The man brought one jar up to his eyes. He tipped the jar all ways, the article inside moving around as it slapped against the glass walls. The man flipped the ledger pages again, his finger sliding down the page and stopping at a particular area of writing. The man then opened the jar, grabbing tongs and slipping on white surgical gloves. Pulling out a stainless steel pan, he grabbed the article out of the jar using tongs, placed it in the pan, and then grabbed other surgical tools. He poked the article in various areas, then took a surgical blade and neatly cut into it. His eyes focused on the article, then he moved the article back into the jar, sealing it up and placing it in a basket on the floor. Slipping off the gloves, he took a pen and made notes in the ledger. He then continued with on with another jar.

A door opened and a tall broad shouldered silver haired man walked in carrying several more jars in a basket and stopped at the desk. Placing the basket down gently down on the wooden desk, he pushed his glasses up his nose and cleared his throat quietly before he spoke. "The next batch as ordered my lord," a low toned voice spoke.

"Thank you Kabuto-kun," the man responded bluntly, not looking up as he continued to examine the jars.

"Someone has requested to see you my lord," the low voice softly let out.

"Tell him my office hours, which isn't now as you should know," the man responded harshly, now writing in the ledger.

"He insists my lord. He wants to discuss the special case he had agreed upon."

The man stopped writing and lifted his dull yellow eyes up to the boy's black round eyes. The boy Kabuto silently gulped as the yellow eyes pierced through him. The man then sat up straight, placing his pen down and lacing his fingers together as he sat back in his chair, glancing at the wall clock briefly.

"Hmm, very well, show him in," he hissed out. Kabuto nodded and left the room. _'Should be interesting, as time is up, I wonder what he has found out.'_ He sighed as he waited for the guest to arrive.

Kabuto entered the room, a burly man following behind him clad in dirty worn blue jeans, steal toed boots and faded plaid wool button up shirt. Kabuto motioned the man to step to the front of the desk.

"Mr. O. Thanks for seeing me, I wanted to chat wit ya," the burly man gruffed out. His beefy hands flexed and relaxed several times as he tried to keep his eyes on the paled yellow eyed man.

Mr. O inwardly smirked. He could tell the man was nervous. His eyes were having a hard time focusing on him and his fingers flexed often. He knew why the man was here. He nodded his head towards the man, indicating to continue.

"Mr.O I know you wanted this done in a month, but….m-my men and I, I… had troubles…and…well… w-we just need more time Mr. O," the man spit out while his hands rubbed against the front of his jean pockets, his eyes flickering to the floor and back up while speaking.

Mr. O continued to stare at the man sharply, expressing his displeasure with his eyes. His lips tight together, he leaned forward slightly, not taking his eyes off the man as he leaned his forearms on the top of the desk. "The agreement was made clear. Thirty days. Return the documents and retire from this assignment."

"Mr. O please. We have leads, w-we just haven't…w-we just…need more time sir!" the burly man sputtered out. "Another thirty, 'tis all I ask s-sir."

Yellow pale eyes narrowed and peered at the man. He could see a shine of sweat on the man's upper lip. Perfect. This was how he knew he had control. It was good to be in control. Besides, he was feeling generous at this moment.

"Thirty more days. Granted." The burly man visually relaxed. "As you can see, product has been coming in on a regular schedule…I will allow this… _setback…_ this one time. _Only_ because I understand the challenge of gathering the product. Do you understand?" he hissed out harshly and continued to hold a glare at the burly man.

"Thank you sir." He gave a low bow and Kabuto quickly shuffled the man out of the room, closing the door behind them. Mr. O sat back in his chair and tapped his fingertips together as he allowed his lips to lift into a thin smile. Kabuto came back into the room shortly. He came and stood at the front of the desk, his lips smiled slightly in amusement as he glanced at Mr. O with a raised brow.

Mr. O looked up at Kabuto, his yellow eyes widened and giving him a questionable look. "Something amusing Kabuto-kun?" he hissed out.

Kabuto stopped smiling and gave a solemn look. "Sorry my lord…it's not like you to be so… so… accommodable." He shuffled his feet a bit while looking down at the floor. "It's just surprising that's all my lord," he whispered and gave a bow.

Mr. O curled his lips up slightly, amusement in his eyes as he watched Kabuto grovel. "I had a pleasurable run in with Sasuke the other night at the annual Christmas clan and council gathering," he disclosed, his voice sounding pleased. "Still immaculate, controllable and most exquisite to the eyes and pleasing scent. It's only a matter of time," he whispered in a breath, moistening his lips slowly with his tongue in a seductive manner. He took in a deep breath, humming and closing his eyes as he slowly released his breath while he relaxed his head against the back of chair. One hand drifted across his chest, his fingers lightly stroking the fabric as he appeared to be concentration on something.

Kabuto looked up and focused on the man as he reminisced in his memory. Dark eyes fell half lidded as Kabuto shuddered, licking his own lips and flexing his hands impatiently while watching the older man. Kabuto drew in a shuddering breath, releasing it quickly when the man opened his yellow eyes and focused on dark ones.

"Hmm," Mr. O tightened his lips into a small smile, "yes, very pleasing." His yellow eyes took in Kabuto's form, his eyes scaling up and down. "Come Kabuto-kun," he breathed out, licking his lips and pushing his chair back, his eyes not leaving Kabuto's. He placed his hands on the arm rests and spread his legs, his eyes not breaking contact. "Business can wait a few moments."

Kabuto's eyes glazed over with a hazed look as he nodded his head and walked around the desk. He stood before the chair, looking down at the pale yellow eyes that promised what he was desiring. Kabuto dropped slowly to his knees, his hands resting on the elder man's thighs, giving them a squeeze. "Yes my lord," he breathed out.

-XOXOXOXO-

Naruto whistled a tune as he entered into his cottage. He toed his shoes off and headed for the kitchen, not surprised to find a light on. He walked in and found Kiba eating a bowl cereal and reading a manga at the table.

"Report," Naruto stated as he walked by the table and headed for the fridge.

Kiba swallowed what he was chewing and closed his book. He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his brown locks, "well…" he dragged out, and Naruto leaned back from the fridge door, tipping his head to peer his blue eyes at Kiba. "All in all, the perimeter is intact, but there were some questionable scents close by." Naruto raised his eyebrows and his eyes widened. He grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and moved to sit at the table. Kiba scratched at his cheek and furrowed his brows as he watched Naruto take a seat. "I'm certain it was vampire," Kiba stated, his fingers tapping at the table and puckered his lips in thought. "I've scented them before, but never this close to our borders. So far the scent seemed to be in one area, like they didn't realize they were near our borders and then turned around. Maybe that was all it was? Some vamps traveling? New ones that don't know where the borders lay?" Kiba looked up at Naruto, his eyes held questions.

Naruto crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. He frowned and his brows creased, he inhaled deep, releasing a slow breath as he appeared to be deep in thought. Kiba watched Naruto, his fingers still tapping slowly on the table top, his other hand reaching for his unfinished bowl of cereal. "Definitely something to keep tabs on. The nearest clan is not even in this county." Naruto drank from his bottle, smacking his lips as he set it down and ran a hand through his hair, "I'll see if I can find out where exactly the clans are to determine if they are a threat or not. It could be that it may have been travelers, but I don't want to take the chance. Brief the others in the morning. Good work Kib's." Naruto gave Kiba a grin and a thumbs up as Kiba began shoving the rest of the cereal into his mouth. Kiba nodded and hummed what sounded like a "thank you" as he grabbed his manga. "Be sure to brief the others, I want everyone to be extra alert to any scents coming to close to our borders and noting in the geographical map. I don't want us to be surprised should anything happen." Kiba again grunted his approval and Naruto said goodnight as he headed to his room.

After a shower, to wash the smell of the club off, Naruto slipped into his sleeping attire and slipped under the covers of his bed. He laid back, hands folded behind his head as he thought about the evening. He frowned as he thought about his conversation with Kiba. He had to say he was concerned, as he had seen the results of war between species when he was a kid, losing his parents in the process. He would just have to make sure he is ahead of the game and prepared. Tomorrow he would ensure that his home was prepped and ready for anything, keep tabs on the geographical area and talk to granny about the any disturbances in other clan species. He took in a deep breath, willing his mind to settle and he began to see dark coal eyes, marble smooth skin, soft peach lips and blue black locks.

Naruto smiled as he thought of Sasuke and his success at presenting the gift to him. He felt warmth crawl up his chest and into his face and felt his groin twinge with excitement. Naruto snorted to himself, _'ah who wouldn't sport a boner for that sexy alpha'_ he thought as he reached under the covers and slipped his hand under his sweats. He stoked his erection languidly while visions of peach lips, marble skin and black eyes danced around in his head. He imagined Sasuke beckoning him with sultry eyes, swinging his hips to a beat as he did at the club and the final touch, Sasuke running his tongue around his fingers as he pushed them into his mouth. Naruto couldn't help himself as he gripped his cock and sped up, reaching his climax fast with heavy pants. _'Fuck…fuck…'_ Naruto jumped out of his bed, heading for the ensuite to clean up. As he changed his pants and washed up, he felt annoyed and frustrated with his sudden lack of stared at his reflection briefly and stuck his tongue out at himself before turning and heading back to his bed. He reached over to plug in his phone, ensuring the alarm was on, as he had class tomorrow morning, and switched of the bed lamp. He snuggled deep into the covers, a small smile on his face as his thoughts went back to the evenings early events, his gifting to Sasuke.

=========XOXOXO======

The story continues, the plot thickens, the romance, the drama, the danger and mystery! Oh my!

Feel free to leave a hit, a sign, or whatevah you like :D

See you all next time!


	8. History shows

As some of my loyal tumblr followers may know, I lost a dear friend of 20 plus years unexpectedly a couple weeks ago. She was only a few years older than me, and the situation certainly took my muse away for a time. I was involved in the new chapters for these stories at the time of her passing, so I accepted that I needed to take some time for myself and her, before I could continue.

I have never lost someone so close to me in my time on this earth, thus the whole experience was at times overwhelming. I am now at the point that I have to remind myself she is no longer there to respond. I can't text her, no longer can I call her to have a weekly vent and definitely its hard to stop myself from calling her when i want to plan a weekend outing with her.

Anyhow, thanks for the vent, here is the next chap for Deny Thy, I think it is the longest one so far, as the story develops, more details are needed right!? :D

Special thanks to my amazing authors who graced me with many virtual hugs and words of comfort.

~~on with the show~~

 ** _**Three Years Ago**_**

 _'I don't fucking care! I'm outta here!' The younger was frustrated at the progress, and tired because he had been working at it all day._

 _'Sasuke wait!' He pleaded, he wanted him to rest now, but the younger wouldn't listen._

 _'Leave me alone! I never should have fucking trusted you! Your just like father! You…you hypocrite!' Sasuke was angry, spitting out whatever he could to hurt the other._

 _'Sasuke! I know it's tough, give it time…you're doing…' He tried to remain calm, tried to hold the peace and show him that it can be done but it was going to be hard._

 _'Fuck you! It's been a year, a YEAR! Nothing is different!' Sasuke spat out, his arms held up in exasperation, his eyes glowing red at him._

 _'You think that it's supposed to be easy?! You think that life should be just a stroll through the park?! OH grow up Sasuke! Life isn't handed to you on a platter! Of course it's going to be tough for fucks sake! Take your whining and childish behaviour out of here then!' Huffing and panting in anger, he let his frustration get the best to him as he suddenly realized, this wasn't what he wanted to say._

 _Sasuke's eyes were wide with sudden surprise as he processed the words from the elder's mouth. His arms hung to the side with fists clenching and shaking. He then quickly lowered his eyes into a hard glare and firm snarl on his lips, directed right at him. His eyes looked flooded with tears, yet none fell._

 _'Sasuke…I didn't….' He tried to form words, tripping over them, unable to get them out fast enough…he didn't mean that, really, please…_

 _Sasuke said nothing as he turned on his heel, grabbed his jacket and slammed the door behind him. That was the last time Itachi would see him for months._

 ** _**Months later**_**

Several paws hit the forest floor and tossed up dirt as the wolves continued to run through the trees in the moonlight. Their pants were the only sounds that could be heard. They had a target; the only thing now was to get there. The pack members telepathically spoke to each other as they ran on.

 _'We're almost there, the scent is getting stronger!'_

 _'I can smell it too, there is more than just him though, I'm certain!'_

 _'When we get close enough, we'll slow for a better look, we are up wind, hopefully they won't be able to sense us yet.'_

The three wolves began to slow between the trees and gradually came to a stop. Their noses lifted into the air, huffing and snorting. Their eyes focused on areas between the brush, a small cottage buried within tall trees and brush, well hidden from the air and there weren't any other developments for several hundred miles. There was a lone 2 lane track that lead to the cottage. Most likely only 4x4's could make the distance. Even if some lost traveler discovered the well hidden trek, they wouldn't be able to get very far with the terrain.

 _'I'm only smelling a few outside, some human, some wolf.'_

 _'He may be inside, lets check out the area'_

The three wolves slowly made a wide trek around the cottage, taking care to not alert any humans or wolves that were currently just outside the cottage, patrolling the perimeter.

 _'I can't see a safe way in.'_

 _'I have an idea…'_

A silver hair wolf came jumping through the brush, stumbling into the light of the cottage and dropped to the ground. The humans and wolves turned quickly to where the silver wolf lay. The wolves quickly took front and the humans stood behind them, hands on their revolvers. The wolves slowly made their way towards the silver wolf, teeth bared and growling, heads dipped low to the ground. The silver wolf panted heavily and slowly got up on its four legs. It shook his head, steadied itself on its feet and glanced at the wolves coming closer. Its eyes took in the other wolves and humans, then it swiftly turned and ran into the dark brush. The wolves began barking and growling, then gave chase. The humans ran to the edge of the brush and peered into the dark. They would not dare go into the forest alone.

 _'Hurry! Hidan will not keep them occupied for long!'_

The two wolves ran quickly to the rear of the cottage, noticing there was a cellar door that lead to under the cottage. The two wolves quickly reverted back to human form, forcing open the heavy wooden doors. Itachi and Kisame slipped into the darkness, quietly closing the doors behind them.

The underground area was lit with single bulbs near the ceiling. The moisture was thick and the smell of moss was overwhelming. The two men continued down a corridor, their hearing and senses on high alert. As they continued down, the sounds of grunts, growls, huffing and snorting became apparent. Itachi picked up his pace. "I can smell him!" Itachi whispered harshly as he quickened his pace. Kisame right on his heels, as they came to several wooden doors. Itachi hesitated and glanced around at the many doors. He then focused on one, "this one…" and quickly moved towards it to open it. The room was dimly lit, half the room was a cell, with steel bars, the other half had a steel table and a few cabinets. The room smelled of blood and bile. Itachi and Kisame scrunched their noses and looked into the cell. Snarling and red eyes glowed in a shadowed area of the cell. "Sasuke?" Itachi whispered out, his alpha wolf crying out in vain in his mind. The growls increased, but the eyes never moved from the shadowed area. Itachi moved forward to the cells, his hands reaching for the bars.

"Watch it!" Kisame cried out as he pulled Itachi back. Teeth came from the darkness, froth dripping and spraying from the mouth, as the wolf snarled and snapped viciously through the cell bars. The wolf pushed hard against the cell bars as if not caring they were there, continuing to snarl and snort. As the wolf tried to force its head through the bars, skin surrounding the eyes was sickly pulled back, revealing pink flesh and muscle in the eye sockets. The tongue was black and covered with white ooze, dripping and spraying as the wolf continued to try and snap its jaws while its muzzle was between the bars. The wolf's huge paws continuously tried to reach for them, its claws scratching at the floor, leaving trails of reddish brown fluids.

Itachi fell to his knees, tears escaped his eyes, as he brought his hands to his mouth, covering a sob that escaped. "S-s-asuke…" The wolf's fur was weighed heavy with grease, mats of crusted, bloody and mudded fur all over his body, exposed wounds that oozed yellow puss, and bones that practically were ready to protrude through the skin, showing emancipation at its worst. Itachi couldn't stop the sobs as he watched his once proud otouto wasted to a deteriorated form, practically on deaths door. The feral wolf continued to snap its jaws at the intruders, spitting froth, blood and drool from its mouth, its red eyes flickering between the two, heavy pants indicating the exhaustion it felt trying to maintain a fierce attack.

Kisame looked on in disbelief. He couldn't speak, no words would form at the site before him. He brought a hand to Itachi's shoulder, "'tachi…he…he isn't Sasuke anymore…"

Itachi pulled away harshly from Kisame's hand. His eyes were wet from the tears, but his face was wretched in anger. "No! Sasuke is there! I can feel him!" He stood up suddenly, fists clenched tight, facing Kisame close, "how dare you say such a thing! We need to get him out of there now!" Itachi turned and scanned the room. "There has to be something here to get him out of there…help me look." Itachi began to go through the cabinets quickly. Kisame followed behind him, searching the area around the table and door.

"Here! Found a key!" Kisame found a small hook by the door, a large heavy key dangling from it. He grabbed it and went for the cell. The wolf continued to launch itself against the cell bars, snarling and snapping towards Itachi and Kisame. "He doesn't recognize us, see if there's something to cover him with 'tachi!" Kisame inched his way towards the lock on the cell door, and the wolf kept trying to come at him through the bars. Itachi came up behind him with a brown fabric, looking like a burlap potato bag.

"Sasuke," Itachi spoke softly, "it's me." Itachi released his scent, hoping to calm the wolf. He knelt close to the bars, trying to look into the wolf's red eyes. "Sasuke. Please, can you hear me?" Itachi spoke in a whisper, praying his voice and scent would get through to the feral wolf. The wolf stopped charging the bars and stood, panting heavily but snarling deep. The bloody froth dripping from its lips onto the floor. It stared at Itachi, as he continued to speak softly while releasing his scent as Kisame unlocked the cell door. The click of the latch and groan of the door had the wolf turn its head towards the sound. "Kisame, be ready!" Itachi spoke and tossed the brown burlap bag at him as the wolf snarled and bared its teeth towards Kisame.

"Hi Sasuke, it's me, Kisame, remember?" Kisame spoke softly towards the wolf. The wolf crouched, red eyes focused on the large man, still snarling and panting heavy. "It's alright now. We're going to take you home."

The wolf huffed loudly while it opened its jaws wide and quickly leaped towards Kisame. But Kisame was ready, he held the burlap sack open as Sasuke's paws reached his shoulders. Kisame pulled the wolf into a quick hug, wrapping the sack around the body at the same time. "UMPH! Damn!" Kisame huffed out as he was knocked back from the cell door. "F-fuck!" The wolf thrashed about, trying to twist his way out from Kisame's grasp. "Tachi! Grab his head!" Kisame steadied his legs as he attempted to keep his face away from the now covered teeth that continued to snap and growl while gripping hard around the wolf's torso and keep the burlap sack secure.

Itachi quickly came up behind the wolf's thrashing body trapped in Kisame's arms to grab the head. He continued to release a scent, but it appeared to not make a difference. "Damn it Sasuke, it's me! Please!" Itachi called out as his hands grasped at the covered head. The wolfs head stopped suddenly and Itachi grasped at the covered head, "please…otouto, it's me." Itachi moved his face closer to the covered head, whispering over and over. The wolf's head jerked hard towards Itachi's voice and collided with Itachi's cheek. A loud crack was heard as the wolf's head slammed against Itachi and caused enough momentum to have Kisame lose balance of the heavy body and stumble into Itachi. The wolf thrashed hard, breaking free of Kisame's grasp and onto the floor.

"Fuck!" Kisame shouted, his body instantly wretched his stumbling body towards the wolf who fell to the floor. The wolf shook the sack loose and glowing red eyes with snarling mouth focused on Kisame. Kisame stopped, his eyes not leaving Sasuke's, "okay…okay… its okay now, it's just me now Sasuke." Kisame held his arms up half way, palms up, crouched and moving ever so slowly towards the now snarling and shaking wolf. The froth dripping from its mouth appeared to never end as the black tongue flapped to the side. Red eyes focused hard on Kisame. The snout lips curled up, showing off the fangs. "Just calm down now Sasuke," Kisame continued to talk while stepping slowly towards him.

The wolf jerked to the side and swiftly moved for the open door.

"Sasuke!" Itachi cried out, trying to reach and grasp for him, but it was to late, Sasuke was gone.

 ** _**Present**_**

Kisame carried Sasuke into the office at the club. The thumping of the music shook the walls, but limited noise came through. He placed Sasuke on the large leather couch softly, Itachi close behind and Hidan closed the door, locking it behind him. Kisame stood and walked towards the large dark tinted one way window that overlooked the majority of the club. Hidan stood at the foot of the couch as Itachi kneeled by Sasuke.

Sasuke moaned quietly as he struggled to get breaths of air. _'F-fuck…b-bastards,'_ he thought to himself as he pinched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth together, willing the pain in his lower abdomen to go away. He turned to his side in hopes to elevate the pain in his stomach, opening his eyes slightly to see his brother hovered over him with concern and fear in his eyes. "N-niisan," Sasuke croaked out, "s-so-kay."

Itachi shook his head as he pinched his lips together. "What the hell otouto, what happened?" he asked exasperated. "What did those men want? Did they get something? Why were they attacking you?" Itachi rambled off the questions, not giving Sasuke a moment to say a peep.

"N-niisan… j-just slow down," Sasuke managed to squeak out. He placed a hand on Itachi's forearm and gave it a squeeze. "H-how can I s-splain if you ke-ep talking?" Sasuke breathed out hoarsely with a small smile but it was obvious he was still feeling the painful affects of the attack.

Itachi immediately focused on Sasuke, lips tightly closed and eyes wide with concern. He moved his one hand to stroke Sasuke's hair. Sasuke closed his eyes at the gesture, the small smile still on his lips.

Sasuke took in a shuddering breath. "D-don't know who they were…but," he hesitated for another breath, "car…smelled… blood." Sasuke shivered a bit, his brother continued to run his fingers through his hair. "My name…t-they wanted my name," Sasuke finished with a breath. His body visibly relaxed with the ministrations of Itachi and soon he was asleep. Hidan brought over a throw and covered the sleeping boy's shoulders before placing the back of his hand against Sasuke's cheek. A soft gesture of support. Kisame snorted quietly at the window. Itachi continued to stroke Sasuke's hair, staring intently at his face and releasing a calming scent.

Confirming that Sasuke was asleep, Itachi stood and headed for his large mahogany desk. His hands folded together at this chin, his eyes focused at nothing in particular, a quiet growl escaping his lips as he stepped closer to the desk. He then placed his hands on the desk, his body leaning slightly over it, as he glared through the one way window. "Who…what… damn it!" Itachi growled out lowly, "what the fuck was that all about?" He turned his body, leaning against the desk and folded his arms across his chest. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Hunters? Gang members? What do you think?" Itachi spoke out sternly, as he glanced at his sleeping brother on the couch. His eyes glowed yellow as he ground his teeth.

"I didn't notice anything that would suggest hunters," Kisame spoke up first, his hand rubbing at his chin. "It seemed they were mugging him."

"I didn't smell anything either. The car drove off before we could catch up," Hidan added his thoughts as he stood at the foot of the couch, standing over Sasuke in a protective stance.

"Sasuke had trouble with an asshole alpha earlier…" Itachi glanced at Hidan then Kisame.

Kisame nodded his head, "Hn, that's a good possibility. The guy was such an ass and being knocked down can leave some alpha's pissed beyond belief. He could have called for some goon backup to get his pride back."

"Find out who that smug alpha was and bring him in, I want a few words," Itachi sternly gave the order and both beta's nodded once their understanding and left the room. Itachi went and sat on the arm of the couch by Sasuke's head. He began to stroke his fingers again through Sasuke's hair. "Don't worry otouto, you will have your day." Sasuke let out a breathy sigh with a whimper in his sleep.

 ** _**Three Years Ago**_**

"Quick! Kisame! Move it!" Itachi commanded as he jumped up and headed for the door where Sasuke had just ran through. Kisame jumped up and followed Itachi. Both males ran down the corridor, following Sasuke's scent. "He's heading for the doors. Hurry! Hurry!" The sounds of snarling, wailing and barking intensified as Itachi and Kisame ran by the doors. Both ignored the sounds. They came upon the cellar doors, a corner of one of the doors broken. It appeared Sasuke had managed to claw, bite and break a corner to get through the door. "Fuck!" Itachi blurted out. He pushed open the doors, stepping into the cool night air, listening carefully for any wolves or humans that may have discovered their presence. Itachi could hear the wolves howling in the distance, obviously still on Hidan's trail. He motioned Kisame to follow, and the two males stole into the shadows, transforming once they were safely cloaked by the dark of the night in the brush.

 _'Hidan! Sasuke has taken off into the woods. Lose them far from here and then return to help us track him!'_

 _'Got it,'_ Hidan snorted, twisting his silver wolf body in the opposite direction of Kisame and Itachi, to lead the strange wolves further away.

 _'Kisame, you got him? He's heading north. You got left.'_ Itachi heard Kisame huff a return and both of them began to overtake Sasuke on his run through the trees. Itachi could hear his brother huffing hard as he ran. He wasn't healthy enough to run such distances, he would have to slow soon, he hoped. He hoped that his brother was not so lost to feral that he would run himself to death. Itachi shook his muzzle. He couldn't think like that! He would get his brother back, he would! Itachi pressed harder and faster in a run towards Sasuke, determined to bring him to a halt and back home.

It took a few more miles before Itachi and Kisame managed to pin Sasuke to the forest floor. His wolf form could run no longer. Sasuke's wolf form was ragged with sores and welts. His skin appeared tight, dry and looked of greyish old canvas that may rip with just a touch. His once glorious silky black coat, now ragged oily tufts around his body. His breaths wheezed, often coughing up froth and blood. Itachi could see Sasuke's skin stretch between the ribs as he struggled for breath. His eyes were dull red, pupils dilated fully and blank. Sasuke whole being appeared emancipated and skeletal, practically on deaths door. Itachi's human form leaned against Sasuke's wolf form, his head resting upon his otouto's scruff, his hands gently grasping what fur there was around Sasuke's neck as he wept. His tears could not be held back as he sobbed into Sasuke's fur, unable to deal with the emotional tsunami that rushed to the surface when he and Kisame had found his otouto. His hands squeezed the fur continuously as Itachi allowed his tears to release.

"Stay with me, please…otouto. D-don't despair, onii-san has come to take you home."

 ** _-intermission-_**

For several weeks Itachi spent by Sasuke's side, watching Kakashi work on the wolfs body. Tubes, needles, straps, and so much more, attached to Sasuke, to bring his wolf form back to health. Healing the body was one thing, but Kakashi did not know if Sasuke; the intellectual, bold and cheeky Sasuke, would come back to the surface. The feral wolf intellect had been brought to the surface with what Kakashi diagnosed was a host of chemical treatments and psychological trauma and Kakashi was not sure what else could have been done. Throughout the treatment on the wolf form, he had discovered a host of old healed wounds. Dozens of bones that had been clearly broken and healed, scars that left questions on why they were found in questionable areas, and a clear mutilated area that appeared to have healed over several times, leaving the skin raised, ragged, and discolored with gray and black marks located in the dip Sasuke's neck and shoulder. Some instrument must have been inserted several times to leave a disfiguring mark of that nature on Sasuke. Kakashi frowned, his eyes held discomfort at what Sasuke must have went through in that place. From the description of the cottage from Itachi and Kisame, Kakashi figured it was a testing facility.

Healing the broken wolf form was laborious work. Kakashi had to keep the wolf sedated, as when conscious, the wolf would thrash about, snarl and snap at anyone that came near him, causing the wolf to cause harm to himself. Kakashi worried what damage long induced sedation may have on Sasuke's intellectuality, but he had no choice.

Several weeks passed before Sasuke's wolf form was no longer skeletal, his infected wounds had healed, leaving pink scars on the skin. His fur began to grow in thicker and fill in the balding areas around the body. He was still bony, his muscles still feeble due to his wolf form becoming frail and emaciated. His body; by appearance, with continuous testing and doctor diagnosis, was going to require intensive physio therapy for several months to get his muscles back into normal working physical shape. Provided Sasuke's psychological, cognitive abilities and skills were intact. Worst case scenario, human form Sasuke with a feral wolf frame of mind. He wouldn't be more than a wild animal that had been forced to be domesticated. Kakashi sighed while running a hand through his thick silver hair. He mentally prayed for the miracle that Sasuke would break free from this mishap.

 _'W-where… am I…c-can't… move? F-fuck…oh jeesuz f-fuck, h-hurts. T-that smell…it…is it r-really…'_ He felt his eye lids flitter as he released a quiet breathy whimper through his lips. His tongue felt swollen and dry. His body felt heavy and so achingly sore, he cringed when he tried to move his limbs. _'O-oh god… it h-hurts, w-wha?'_ He inhaled a longer breath, taking in the scents around him.

Slight movement of the head, a breathy whimper had alerted the others in the room of Sasuke. Itachi stepped closer to the bed rails, placing his hand on Sasuke's forehead, gently running his palm across his forehead and hairline. "I'm here otouto, it's alright," Itachi whispered softly. Sasuke's lips moved apart, his nose scented the air as his face turned towards Itachi. Eyes still closed, his nose continued to smell the air and his eye lids flickered lazily, trying to open and his breath wheezed through his dried lips. His arms moved slightly, but couldn't move far, as they were strapped to the rails with thick brown leather belts. The same on his ankles, and his body covered by a white heavy stiff sterile blanket. Sasuke jerked his arms suddenly, his teeth clenched quickly as he began to shake his limbs, showing signs of panic, realizing he was restrained. Itachi released a profound vibration from his chest, a rich sound soothing Sasuke almost instantly. "I'm here otouto," he spoke softly as he leaned closer to Sasuke's face and began to sooth the worry lines from his forehead. Sasuke stilled, inhaling with a shaky breath and turned his head towards the sounds his brother omitted. His eye lids flickered more and finally dark moist eyes emerged, focusing on Itachi's face. Itachi smiled softly, his eyes looking into the deep dark abyss of his brother, oh how he had missed him. Sasuke's eyes opened wide, the dark pools filling with tears as his pupils focused solely on his alpha. His lips began to quiver as he choked on sharp short breaths of air, "n-niisan…I-I.." his voice cracked with a squeak, "I… I… I c-couldn't…" Sasuke chocked on a sob, his tears flowing freely down his pale cheeks, his eyes pleading at Itachi. "P-p-please t-tah-chi…" Sasuke chocked out words, as his sobs hiccupped beyond his control, shoulders shaking, his hand outstretched towards Itachi as far as the restraints would allow.

"I'm here Sasuke," Itachi whispered as he placed his forehead against Sasuke, "I'm here."

 ** _**Present**_**

Naruto pulled up to the forest cabin, stirring up a cloud of dust from his tires before he slid in to a stop. He jumped out of his jeep, quickly swinging the door shut and trotted towards the cabin. Taking a giant leap up to the porch, Naruto quickly rapped a few times on the screen door before opening it and letting himself in.

"Helloooo! Anyone home?" Naruto called out as he stepped into the home, closing the door lightly behind him. He cocked his head to the side, listening carefully. "Baa-chan! Anyone home?! Oi!" Naruto called out again as he toed his shoes off.

"What the hell brat! Are you trying to wake the dead?! What am I saying, you probably already did with that screeching you just let loose!" Tsunade came out from the kitchen area, carrying a rubber spatula, an apron encircled around her waist. She stopped, placing a hand on a hip and shook the spatula towards him. "I'm warning you, if you can't keep a muffler on that mouth of yours, I'm going to tie those lips tight with a cord and connect it with your balls brat!"

Naruto's eyes went wide, palms flew to his mouth when he let out a small 'eep!' at the thought of Tsunade living up to her threat. His eyes gave a forgiving look as he mumbled an apology behind his palm.

Tsunade stepped up and bopped Naruto on the head with her spatula. "Stop mumbling baka! Come in already!" She swiftly turned around, heading back towards the kitchen, "I'm in the middle of baking, make yourself useful and put the kettle on." Naruto whispered an 'ow' as he rubbed his head while following behind Tsunade into the kitchen. He went immediately to the kettle, grabbing it and headed to the tap. Tsunade went back to a large mixing bowl and pans set on the table. "What is it brat, what brings you by today?" she asked as she took the spatula and wiped it off on her apron before dipping it back in the batter. "Did you break something? Did you piss someone off? Did you fail a class?" Tsunade listed off a bunch of questions, making Naruto snort as he filled the kettle. "Did you get someone pregnant?" Tsunade stopped stirring, looked up at Naruto with a pointed glare.

Naruto's sputtered suddenly, his head twisted to turn and look at Tsunade staring him down. "Wha-? What the hell baa-chan! What do you take me for!?" he spit out and almost dropped the kettle as he turned off the water. He took the kettle to the stove, turning it on then turning to face Tsunade. "God! I can't believe you would think that!" Naruto snorted as he took a seat, flopping down hard and frowning at Tsunade.

Tsunade snorted and gave a smirk as she went back to stirring her batter. She picked up the bowl and tipped it over one of the cake pans. "Well, you only seem to come over when you want me to fix something!" she talked as she poured batter into one pan, directing it with her spatula. "Get on with it brat, what brings you by?" She moved the bowl over to the second pan, emptying the rest of the batter, scraping the sides with her spatula.

Naruto focused on the running batter, there was just something soothing about watching thick smooth liquid pouring evenly. "Hmmm, baa-chan, just wanted to get an update on the surrounding regions, territories and if there was anything I should be weary of happening within the council. Or other stuff, like other species that might be moving in, umm fighting, causing uhh…disturbances, stuff like that," Naruto trailed off watching the last of the batter fall into a pan. He watched as Tsunade placed the bowl to the side. Tsunade smirked slightly, as she saw Naruto's eyes following the bowl. She knew his weakness for sweets. She suppressed a giggle as she thought about the times when he was little that he would sneak in and dip his fingers into the batter or just put his whole head in to lick the bottom of a bowl. She put the spatula into the now empty bowl and passed it to Naruto, giving him a wink as Naruto's eyes widened and a huge grin spread across his face.

"In answer to your questions, Naruto, there hasn't been much change in anything within the regions and territories, as well it should be. This time of peace has been the most ultimate blessing. The council appears to be enjoying this quiet time and sticking to boring discussions of trading and immigration." She wiped her hands on her apron, watching Naruto slide his tongue all over the covered spatula, then scrape the sides of the bowl again to cover the spatula up once more so he could just tongue it all over again. He grunted his reply, noting that he had heard her, but didn't stop licking at the leftover batter. She shook her head and chuckled quietly as she went to turn off the kettle and prepare the tea. "I haven't heard any concerns regarding any other species either. Hmm…" she suddenly hummed while pouring the water into the pot, "it has been quiet, for quite a while…hmmm." She gathered up the pot and cups, taking them to the table where Naruto had appeared to have now licked the bowl clean. She smiled at him as she then grabbed the cake pans and placed them into the oven, setting the timer.

Naruto continued to tongue his way around the bowl, "w-well den, wuts the *smack* mah-tur den *smack*." His blue orbs watching Tsunade as he tried to talk his way around his licking the bowl.

Tsunade grabbed the now free of batter bowl from Naruto, "baka…" she muttered as she placed it in the kitchen sink. She turned to answer Naruto, only to find him sucking and tonguing the spatula, his lips smiling and eyes focused on the stick like it was a lollipop. Tsunade swiped the spatula with one hand while smacking his head with her other. "Baka! Enough already! You're going to end up swallowing the damn thing!" She tossed the spatula in the sink and went to sit at the table. Naruto was now licking his fingers and Tsunade just gapped at him, ' _The boy is a black hole that could swallow anything I swear!'_ Naruto stopped mid lick and blue wide eyes focused on her. He grunted what sounded like a 'what' and Tsunade just held her hands out and shook her head at him. Naruto slowly lowered his hands, closing his mouth and looked at the table top with a small pout on his lips. Tsunade folded her arms across her chest, sat back in her chair and let out a deep chuckle. "Seriously brat, I don't know how you do it." Naruto lifted his head, his eyes gave Tsunade a confused look. Tsunade just smiled and shook her head. "Why the questions about political situations boy? Not like you to willingly come looking for answers."

"Baa-chan! How could you say such a thing!? A good leader knows what is going on, and I'm going to make sure I do what I can to protect the pack!" Naruto let out in a firm solid voice, his one hand clenched into a fist as he brought it down to his chest. "I'm also studying more political science, with the help of Gaara to one day be able to take seat in council!" He grinned proudly at her.

Tsunade raised a brow at Naruto, "well that certainly is admirable brat. Anything else?" She tipped her chin down and raised both eyebrows now at him.

"On one of our patrols, Kiba caught scent of vampire near the border. I'm pretty sure the nearest colony is in another country." Naruto tapped his finger on his chin, "it was suggested that maybe it was a traveler that just got to close to the border then turned around. This has been the only scent, but we are keeping closer tabs on our borders just in case." Naruto expressed his arms out as he spoke, a habit he was known to do. "Wanted to know if you have heard anything about colony's moving in or something?" Naruto stopped and placed his forearms down on the table, his focus on Tsunade.

Tsunade grabbed the teapot and began pouring tea into the two cups. Her lips were pinched together, a slight wrinkle between her brows as she poured. "Hmm…" she let out a breathy sound. After pouring the tea, she grasped her tea cup, bringing it up to her lips to blow lightly across the surface. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. When her eyes opened, Naruto held his breath. "It's uncommon for vampire colonies to move, but it is not uncommon for them to… explore, lets call it that." She took a sip of tea before continuing, Naruto releasing the breath he was holding. "You are well aware of how vampires survive?" She lifted a brow and tilted her head at Naruto, and he nodded his head in response, she continued. "Well, in order for them to not be discovered, they do have to travel quite a bit to ensure there isn't to much attention in their region. So, it is not uncommon for vampires to be exploring far and vast, sometimes in other countries, even overseas." She waved her hand about to express her reasoning, "but the colony heads are aware of borders in place for other species in other lands, they should inform their colony members and usually they will stay away from those areas. This has always been practiced in the past." She took another sip of her tea, hesitating the cup to her lips, as again her brow furrowed and made a wrinkle between her brows. "And it isn't just with vampires of course, all regions work the same with colony borders and such." She lifted her hand and tapped her chin.

Naruto watched Tsunade carefully as he sipped at his tea. He had a worried feeling when Tsunade kept giving that 'look of thought' that she continuously harbored while discussing vampire colonies. "Granny, what's got you thinking so much? Do you think there could be something to this random scent?"

Tsunade raised her eyes, settling on concerned azure, her heart clenched a little and the corner of her mouth ticked up slightly. God she loved this kid. His glow, his heart, his compassion and his fight for anyone no matter their status. She sipped at her tea again. "No, I don't think there is any immediate concern, but just monitor the area and keep track. Lord knows we don't want to be surprised now." She tapped her fingers on the table top. "So, do you have any other news? Hmm?" She tapped her fingers some more, bringing her face in closer, waggled her eyebrows at Naruto.

Naruto gasped and blushed as he leaned back in his chair, then began coughing on the tea he just inhaled. "*Cough*-wh- what baa-*cough cough* chan? W-what did you want to know?" He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, wiping away the drops of tea. His eyes blinked, moisture gathered in them from chocking on the tea going down the wrong tube. "O-other news?" Naruto began pounding on his chest as he hacked a little more.

"Oh posh brat! Have you given your first gift yet? You know, _'incredibly sexy strong alpha'_ ," Tsunade mocked Naruto with a gruff voice and putting her hands on her hips as she waivered back and forth in her chair.

Naruto pouted as he folded his arms across his chest. He gave a loud grumpy snort at Tsunade, "that's not funny!" He turned his chin and nose up to the air, looking away from Tsunade and pouting like a little kid. Tsunade burst into chuckles seeing Naruto pout.

"Aw common kid, tell me about it." She reached across the table, attempting to ruffle Naruto's hair, he dodged her, giving her a grunt. Tsunade chuckled again, "were you able to give it to him?" She asked in a more serious tone to settle his nerves and began sipping at her tea.

A small grin creeped onto Naruto's face as his eyes twinkled when they looked across at Tsunade. "Granny it was awesome! He was SO taken with it, I can't _wait_ till the next time! I've got it all figured out!" Naruto continued to tell his plan to Tsunade as she smiled, nodded and hummed acknowledgment at Naruto. Naruto was animate in his body language, she could tell he was very attuned to ensuring that all was going smoothly. She was glad for him, he and his pack deserved some normalcy and brightness, peace and love, with no worries about other clans, species, territories, wars, death, takeovers, who knows! She silently prayed that peaceful times they have been living lasts for many more decades.

A buzzer broke through Naruto's continual ramble and Tsunade got up to head to the stove. Naruto came to the end of his sentence as he inhaled deep, his eyes closed and a pleasurable breathy moan escaped through his nose. Tsunade grabbed her oven mitts and opened the stove. The scent of baked cake wafted through the air and Naruto would have been floating in the waves of sweet scented cake, if he were an animated cartoon that is. She grabbed the hot pans, placing them on the stove top and chuckled at Naruto's antics as he stuck his nose high in the air and exaggerated at sniffing the air.

"MMmm granny, I'm in heaven! What are the cakes for?" Naruto popped open his eyes, seeing the golden brown fluffy cakes cooling on the stove top.

"Secret. You will find out soon enough," she reached over and ruffled his hair. "You should say hi to Jiraiya before you go brat, he's been dozing on the back porch."

"Thanks granny, I will." Naruto stood up and gathered Tsunade up in a hug. He rubbed his cheek against hers, pecked her cheek with his lips and then slipped through the kitchen to the back door. Stepping out into the covered back porch, it was reasonably warm, as the surrounding open porch was now enclosed with glass. In the summer, they took the glass panes out, and there was still screening across the openings so not too many bugs would get in. Should it rain, there were plastic rolls situated over top of each opening that could easily be rolled down. The enclosed porch was good for any season. Naruto looked over to a big arm chair stuffed into the corner of the porch, the sun settling on his lower abdomen and legs. A light snort escaped Jiraya's lips and Naruto just smiled. He stepped over to the sleeping elderly man, crouched down and watched his facial features. His lips were relaxed and vibrated slightly when he exhaled, his eyes flickered behind closed eyelids, a sign of REM and Naruto didn't want to wake him. _'To be in a such a deep blissful sleep, sweet dreams ojii-san,'_ Naruto leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips upon Jiraya's forehead. Naruto smiled as he got up, patting Jiraya's shoulder softly and then headed back through the house to the front door. "Later baa-chan! Thanks for the talk!" he called out not to loudly, and he was sure he heard her grunt out brat or something. He smiled as he headed out the front screen door and to his jeep. Future ideas rolling through his head.

 ** _-XOXOXO-_**

Itachi was annoyed. His eyebrows furrowed often and his chest vibrated when an aggravated growl released every now and then. It had been a couple weeks since the incident in the alley with Sasuke. Kisame and Hidan brought in that asshole of an alpha a couple nights afterwards only to find that after much ' _conversing and convincing'_ that the asshole should come clean, admit to what happened, only to find it was obvious that the asshole alpha wasn't the culprit. He sat on his leather office chair, fingers drumming on the edge of the desk, as he glanced over the crowd in the club though the one way window. He watched Sasuke do his bartender dance behind the bar with ease. He smiled slightly at the memory of when he walked in on Sasuke admiring an object in his palm.

 _"What is it otouto?" Itachi asked as he saw Sasuke staring closely at a small object in his palm._

 _Sasuke quickly closed his palm and shoved his hand in his pocket, turning around and grunting out, "Nothing…" Itachi of course knew his otouto better than that!_

 _After some light poking and teasing, Sasuke finally showed Itachi the white gray pearl, given to him the night he and Naruto had a good evening of conversing. Itachi smiled at the story and then frowned when Sasuke was reminded of what happened later that evening._

 _Itachi patted Sasuke on the shoulder, "don't worry otouto, we'll find the fuckers."_

It had been a couple weeks now and Itachi was frustrated. He continuously racked his brain on who the thugs were and had Kisame and Hidan following dead ends. He fisted his hand briefly and thumped the top of his desk. "Damn it," he muttered. He then heard the door open but didn't need to look who it was. He relaxed his fist and again began to strum his fingers on the desk as the footsteps made their way closer, and then up behind his chair. Fingers brushed along his shoulders and hands made their way down to his chest from behind.

"MMm… you been hiding in here all night, thinking a lot," a voice purred into Itachi's ear. "I figured you were waiting for me so I can help you relax." The slender fingers slipped a shirt button open and slid inside, fingertips brushing against dark areola and quick pinch of the nub between them, causing Itachi to release a quick gasp. A tongue slid up the shell of Itachi's ear, "Have you been a good alpha?" the voice huskily spoke with a hint of authority to it, "if so, then a special gift you shall have."

The hairs on the back of Itachi's neck and his arms stood straight up as the voice whispered seductively into his ears and fingers twirled his nipple buds beneath his shirt. His breath stuttered slightly as he inhaled, and his fingers stopped strumming the desk and took to scratching the surface lightly instead. He felt a tingle shoot down his torso as his cock began to stir behind his pants, his ball sack skin he could feel waiver as the skin began to tighten. He leaned his head to the side to allow the tongue access to his neck.

"Such a good alpha…" the slight groan of a voice spoke as a tongue slid down the neck and to Itachi's collar bone. "So pliant for me, let me show you what good alpha's get." A form stepped around to the front of Itachi, a hand sliding through Itachi's locks of hair then grasping a hold tightly, holding the head solid. Itachi grunted slightly from the hand grasping his hair but continued sitting still, eyes not looking up but straight ahead. A clad black denim knee came up beside Itachi's one leg, settling between his thigh and the arm of the chair, while the other knee settled itself beside Itachi's other leg and arm of the chair. The figure stilled for a moment, still kneeling above Itachi's lap, as the hands grasping Itachi's hair jerked his head back hard, so Itachi's deep grey eyes looked up into his dominator. Powder blue eyes sparkled with excitement down into Itachi's eyes.

Itachi watched in awe at the figure above him. His dick pushed hard against the confinements of his pants, begging to be released into the wild and be allowed to feast upon the omega meal hovering above it. Itachi licked his lips slowly, as his eyes watched the pink tongue of the omega poke out from his plump lips. Itachi could feel his omega's hands pull on his hair, the excitement in his soft blue eyes showed it easily, though he desired to pull on the omega's hips and have him rut against his straining cock, he held still, allowing his omega take control. Deidara bent over deliciously like, ensuring his lower body didn't touch Itachi's lap, while he nuzzled his nose into Itachi's neck. Itachi ground his teeth hard together as Deidra nipped as his skin, purring loudly and still pulling on his hair to expose his neck more. The zings going through his cock were almost unbearable, as he felt his dick pulse with desire and need for release. But still, Itachi held still and was compliant to his omega's desires.

"My alpha, such a good alpha," Deidara whispered while tasting Itachi's neck. He managed to wiggle far enough back with his knees still on the chair, ass balanced on Itachi's knees as he began to undo all the buttons on Itachi's shirt while dragging his tongue to taste the chest. His lips found deep coloured areola's and perky nubs to nibble. He hummed as he twirled the nubs between his teeth, his tongue flickering playfully on the ends. He grinned as he felt Itachi shudder beneath him. Deidara loved being in control of his alpha in times like these. ' _Hell, almost anytime was a good time for any sexual control and release_ ,' he smirked to himself. But to bring Itachi to his knees with such a desirable hunger, an animalistic craving, all just for the omega was an ultimate turn on and gift. He ran his fingers down to quickly undo the belt and buttons to Itachi's pants while his tongue continued to taste his alpha's scent. Deidara then stopped and tipped his face up to look at Itachi. Deidara shuddered as yellow eyes bore back at him clouded with thick lust and desire. Deidara's omega instincts instantly began shivering in anticipation and released a heavy slick and scent, Deidara swore he saw fire flickering in Itachi's pupils while he ran a tongue across his teeth. Deidara swallowed and pulled the flaps of Itachi's pants open, while he slowly slid his body down between Itachi's legs and placed his knees on the floor. He nestled effortlessly between Itachi's thighs, dusty blue eyes focusing on hard amber eyes following his every move. Diedara dragged a couple fingers over the swollen shaft confined by Itachi's boxers, while his other hand helped Itachi slip his pants down around his ass.

Itachi slipped both of his arms to the arm rests of his chair and squeezed the padding tight. It was getting harder to not grab the omega, toss him to the floor and making him squirm, pant, cry out with desire, howl in ecstasy and come over and over, making him sweat buckets and pass out in blissful exhaustion. But he ground his teeth hard, focused on the blond omega having his way with him and enjoyed the quivering feeling of his organ confined in his shorts, giving jolts of electric pleasure when Deidara touched and tongued all the right places. He then gave a feral grin at Deidara as he imagined the positions, the howls, the shaking and panting that he would soon be gifted with.

Deidra's teeth grabbed hold of the edge of the boxers, pulling them away and down, his hands squeezing Itachi's hips and tracing his thumbs along the muscles. His prize was revealed, mushroom red head, glistening with precum, its thick veins swollen and full. Deidra quickly slipped the rest of the boxers and pants off Itachi's legs, his eyes not moving from the bright yellow orbs, as if they were holding him down, a feral grin still attached on Itachi's lips. Deidra ran his fingernails up firm pale thighs, laid nibbles on various areas, smiling lightly as he seen the muscles convulse slightly at his touch. "My alpha is amazing. He's so solid, strong and ready to breed. Such a worthy alpha deserves a strong pack," Deidra whispered hoarsely as he began to drag his tongue up the thick silky but rock solid organ, tracing the prominent veins all the way to the top. "Mmm, my alpha tastes so good. You have been a good alpha, taking care of your pack and body." Deidara kissed the top of the mushroom head lightly with his lips, several times flicking his tongue between kisses. Itachi's lips curled up slightly as his pupils followed the lips and tongue tracing his rigid cock. Vibrations began in his chest, and Deidara could feel the vibrations travel down through Itachi's legs. His alpha was dangerously aroused, and he wondered how Itachi held back his wolfs instincts all this time. He shuddered in excitement as he heard and watched Itachi's hands clench the arms of the chair, the material groaning with each squeeze. He grasped the base of Itachi's cock and sucked the member into his mouth slowly, his lips stretching around the girth, his tongue flittering inside as his nose found Itachi's fine thatch of hair. He swallowed, his mouth contracting around the thick cock in his mouth as he slowly sucked his way back up to the tip then back down again, following the same motions. He felt his own hole quivering and contracting with excitement as slick was released again.

Itachi watched the blond omega's lips stretch around his girth, the feeling of the muscles in his mouth squeezing and petting his cock, the head of his cock brushing the back of the throat. His alpha wolf salivated in pleasure, sparks of energy traveled up to the head of his cock then back down to settle in his balls. He removed his hand from one of the chairs, placing it in the blond strands of his omega and grabbed a handful. The omega hummed his agreeance to the motion as Itachi used the long blond hair as a guide for the lips up and down his shaft. Itachi shifted in his chair as his passion began to heighten. He hissed as he felt Deidara's teeth drag along the surface of the silky skin of his cock and he rewarded the other by pushing down hard on the omega's head as he thrust his hips up to meet the heat of the soft mouth. His other hand held stead fast onto the arm of the chair as his other palm guided that blissful mouth up and down on his hard cock. Itachi ground his teeth together, he began to snarl his pleasure as Deidara began to pant loudly through his nose and send vibrations into his throat to appease the alpha. "F-fuck D-dei… _f-fuck…'_ Itachi growled out in a raspy voice, "good boy…mmm- _hah-hah_." Itachi panted lightly and leaned his head back against the chair as he gripped blond locks and began face fucking the omega. Deidara gave Itachi full flow of guiding his lips over the fat cock, he sucked back hard and padded his tongue around, before grabbing Itachi's heavy sack and giving it a hard tug. "Ah-hah-ahh!" Itachi howled out, squeezing his eyes shut as he thrusted his hips up, slapping his groin to Deidara's mouth vigorously. Both hands now grasped the blonds head, pulling that mouth up and down across his sensitive shaft as he felt his seed pulse out into the awaiting mouth. "Ah-ah.. fuck- yesss.." Itachi continued to purr out as he slowed his pumping of the blond head into languid strokes down his member, Deidara continuing to lap his tongue around and suckle it like a treat. Itachi released the blond hair and slumped slightly in his chair. Deidara released the half hardened member from his lips, his baby blues shimmering with moisture from the assault, as they looked up to Itachi's half lidded eyes, he slid his tongue around his lips and massaged Itachi's thighs.

"Good alpha, such an excellent alpha," Deidara purred while slowly moving upwards from between Itachi's legs, "for taking such superb care of me, my alpha deserves more." Deidara's eyes gave a sultry look as he continued to run his hands up Itachi's chest and straddle Itachi in his office chair. His own member prominent outline was clearly visible and his arousal scent circled around them. He watched as Itachi's nostrils flared at the arousing scent that rose from him and Itachi's eyes flickered in a flash towards him, yellow flaring bright. He felt Itachi bring his palms and caresses his globes confined in his dark jeans. Deidara leaned forward into Itachi's chest, feeling his arousal run against Itachi and he purred at the contact. Deidara began nibbling at Itachi's neck, "strong alpha, my alpha."

Itachi growled deep and grasped Deidara's ass as he lifted himself from the chair, taking Deidara with him. He swiftly placed Deidara's ass on the edge of the desk, then slipped his hands under Deidara's shirt, guiding it to fall gently down his shoulders. The omega's legs wrapped around Itachi's waist as he placed his arms behind himself and leaned back, head falling back to reveal the small of his throat. The perfect submissive posture and Itachi's wolf howled and snarled with a sexual hunger, flooding Itachi's mind with a ravenousness appetite that only his omega could quell. He felt his fingernails extend slightly, his eyes burning into the dish laid before him, his pulse pounding away in his cock and his skin rippled gloriously with electricity. His canines elongated as he opened his mouth and released a throaty growl before bearing down on the neck presented before him. He bit deeply into Deidara's flesh, feeling his omega's muscles pulse and spasm, a gasp and sigh of pleasure as Deidara's arms gave out and his back laid flat against the cool surface of the desk. Itachi, his teeth still attached to his omega's neck, lifted his own body to mount his omega. His hands traveled across the omega's chest, pinching and flicking the nubs. Deidara panted and gasped under his ministrations, thrusting his still cloth covered penis uncontrollably up into his alpha's body. Itachi released Deidara's neck and lapped at the open wound apologetically while his one hand wrestled with the snaps on Deidara's jeans. He slid his palm into the opening and cupped his omega's phallus. Deidara hissed with a moan at the sudden grasp and Itachi watched the expressions of his omega's face. Deidara's baby frosted over blues opened to focus on his alpha. Itachi leaned in and planted his lips onto Deidara's full lips, dipping his tongue in and around, quivering with excitement as Deidara moaned into the kiss and thrust his cock lightly into Itachi's palm. Itachi pulled away and held Deidara's eyes with his own. "Thank you for being you," he whispered and kissed him again. Deidara laced his arms around Itachi's shoulders and brought him in tight as he surrendered himself.


	9. Chapter 9

The days were still cold, sometimes there would be a light dusting of snow in the morning but it was usually gone by late afternoon. Naruto strolled down the streets, passing several shops decorated fully with red, pink and whites. The season of love covered every corner of the shops and down every street. Not to mention, his own home! The women at home were giggling and flittering around the house adding pink and red hearts on all surfaces it seemed! Baking heart shaped cakes, making cupcakes and chocolate molds of cupids and arrows, Naruto was so done. Don't get him wrong, he enjoyed the sweets, but the women going on about what they hope shows up to them on the _big love day_ was making him want to skip town. But, thankfully, Naruto started to think about his own plight and decided he needed to head out and pick out his next gift. He had a few in mind but had a plan on how and what to present. Can't rush these things now. He felt his wolf nudge his inner satisfaction as Naruto continued to practically skip down the sidewalk.

Carrying a small bag in one hand with the items required for his next project, and a few other things for the house in another bag in the other hand, Naruto shuffled his way down the sidewalk to his jeep. Tossing the articles into the passenger seat of his jeep, Naruto felt his wolf give a shudder of excitement suddenly. Naruto hesitated, focusing on the sensations raising the hair on his arms. _'Hmm.. nothing to worry about, but what could it be that…'_ Naruto stood up straight, looking over the top of his jeep and happened to notice a familiar tuff of styled black hair reflecting in the sun, giving a blue highlight, stepping into a coffee shop right across the street! _'Hot damn! Sasuke! Maybe I can buy him a coffee!'_ Naruto ran his fingers through his hair and smoothed out his jacket. He quickly looked at his reflection in the window and smiled, focusing on his teeth. He took a deep breath and then finally headed around his jeep to cross the street. His wolf vibrated with anticipation, making Naruto feel like a giddy school boy. _'Down boy, you know how he is. Relax!'_ Naruto mentally scolded his wolf as he trotted across the street and walked down the sidewalk. His heartbeat suddenly began to flutter as he came to the coffee shop door. He stopped suddenly, hand stationary on the door handle, and took a few deep breaths. He had no idea why he was suddenly so nervous. _'Okay, lets do this!'_ He pulled the door open and stepped inside.

The coffee shop was not overly busy, a few customers in line and about half the tables and booths were used. Naruto ran his eyes quickly over the small shop, the large windows giving the space a natural light and homey feel. The décor was made to be a vintage shop type, complete with red brick wall, distressed looking wood panels giving the impression of being inside a barn, wooden signs with words of wisdom painted on them and antique looking chairs at the tables. The atmosphere was to portray a quiet country place. Naruto hummed appreciatively to himself, it did give off a relaxed vibe. Naruto's eyes found his target, tucked away in a corner by one of the large front windows, sitting at a quaint small square table with two chairs. His head was tilted down looking at an open book laid on the table top. Naruto smiled as he focused on the black haired beauty. His face was sculpted to enhance his lined chin and the slope of his nose blended well with his cheek bones. His blue black hair fell at the perfect length around his face, highlighting his cheek bones and chin. His neck was sleek and just the right length to show a hint of the marble smooth skin peeking out from his jacket collar. Naruto found himself daydreaming of nuzzling his nose into that collar to inhale the pure scent of Sasuke. His wolf agreed whole heartedly as it released a shiver of lust into Naruto's groin. Naruto released a deep purr of acceptance while he swooned in line.

"Hey, excuse me!" A sharp voice snapped at him from beside him. Naruto shook his head as he was brought out of his daydreams and he turned to the sudden voice. The disgruntled look of a young man, with a messy top bun on his head, his arms crossed and eyes giving a glare. "You gonna order something? If not, step aside! Your holding up the line!"

Naruto blinked at the man, then gave a grin. "Sorry man," he responded and turned to the counter. He flashed a grin at the young girl behind the counter who blushed across her nose, surprised to have such a handsome man show her attention. Naruto gave his order and was asked to wait at the far side of the counter for his order. Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, who appeared to have not noticed the outburst of the impatient young man behind Naruto and was sipping his beverage while not moving his eyes from the book. Most likely because the ordering counter was situated way in the back opposite corner, the furthest away from Sasuke. It's probably why Sasuke chose the location he is currently in, private and most likely more often quiet. Naruto waited patiently for his drink order while watching Sasuke and mulled over how to approach him. _'Hey, looking good, mind if I join you? Nice reading you got there, can I join you? Fancy meeting you here, drink here often? Maybe he should make like he was surprised to see Sasuke there?'_ Naruto shook his head. All of them sounded stupid. A small voice called behind him and Naruto turned to see a timid young man hold up a cup. He called out the name again in a question like manner and looked at Naruto. Naruto flashed a smile and nodded at the timid young man. With his drink in hand, Naruto turned and decided to just wing it and approach Sasuke.

Sasuke turned his face to look out the window. He was not impressed at the unexpected visitor. _What the hell did he want now?_ Sasuke hoped that if he didn't respond to him, he would take the hint and leave. His day was turning out so well. He was caught up in his classes, work was going smoothly, since Itachi had heightened up security though he was still hovering over him like a protective big brother, but since he had bonded with his wolf, Itachi was a little more lenient. Their next camping trip would be coming up in the next couple weeks or so, Sasuke was actually looking forward to it. He had also started a small training regimen after his unfortunate meeting with Orochimaru, to tone up his core muscles and self-defense techniques. Apparently Itachi's insistence on hot yoga earlier had some positive outcomes to his muscles and Sasuke was pleased with the results to his torso. He was eager to enjoy a hot cup of his favorite tea, catch up on his favorite book at one of the few coffee shops that he could tolerate. It was out of the way from the hustle and bustle of the inner city and with the shop's meager offerings, not many people visited here. Sasuke frequented here often for some ' _Sasuke time_ ' as Kisame called it and would always give a tease. He grumbled to himself as he heard the second chair scrape across the floor and his unwelcome visitor now settled into the seat. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke snapped out in a low growl, his face still staring out the window.

"Can't one get a refreshing warm drink in this establishment? It is a public place after all," the voice purred out, trying to sound surprised that Sasuke would ask such a question.

Sasuke turned to throw a glare at the person who sat down at his table. He frowned as he looked to see there was no other drink order on the table. He closed his book, grabbed his now empty cup and made to get up. His nice quiet time was now ruined. He pushed his chair back and moved away from the table. A hand grabbed his wrist hard, halting his progress to leave. "Remove your hand," Sasuke growled out as he stood still, refusing to look at the trespasser and not wanting to cause a scene.

"That's no way to talk to your mate," the voice purred out, while the hand squeezed harder on Sasuke's wrist, giving a quiet warning. Sasuke turned slowly to look down at the appendage holding him steady, his frustration building, but he certainly did not want or need to attract attention. The owner of the wrist gave a small smile and his eyes focused on Sasuke's face, flickering a flash of red. "Come now, come sit. I haven't seen you for quite some time and we should catch up." He held out his other hand, gesturing to the other chair. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Sai as he appeared to consider his options. Opting to not make a scene, he jerked his hand from Sai's grasp and slid back into his seat, across from Sai. "There's a good mate," Sai poured out the words and curled his lips into a smile, "I wanted to know how you've been." He placed his forearms across the table, his hands resting close to Sasuke, and eyes wide giving off an innocent look.

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, no intention of getting close to Sai's hands, and held his book in his lap. "You are _not_ _my mate!_ " Sasuke seethed through his teeth, keeping his voice to a low murmur, "nor will I ever be, so get that idea out of your head!" His inner wolf perked up suddenly, feeling the emotions of Sasuke as it heightened its senses, as if wanting to know what was going on, sensing an alpha scent. Sasuke suppressed the wolf emissions, hoping it would get the hint that now wasn't the time.

"Tsk tsk Sasuke, you certainly are feisty today," Sai responded sweetly and intertwined his fingers together but didn't move his hands away, "you're looking really good, how's things with classes?" He grinned again, making like they were having a normal conversation.

"Fuck off!" Sasuke hissed out again quietly, a ripple of irritation going through his skin. He leaned in slightly, "what the hell is your problem? Get it through your head, we are nothing!" Sasuke's wolf tremored slightly feeling the alpha's presence. Sai was emanating a subtle scent of dominance, Sasuke could smell it and he felt sick. His wolf pushed persistently against the mental barrier, trying to submit to the alpha. Sasuke shuddered and clenched his fists as he tried to push down his inner wolf and instincts. Now was not the time.

"Ah, still fighting I see. You know how much better it is if you just let it be, Sasuke," Sai rolled his name off his tongue, licking his lips afterwards. "We are meant to be, you and I, remember how much fun it was when we were free?" Sai took that moment to slide his chair a little closer to Sasuke. "The feeling of just flying through the trees, letting our instincts rule us and not having a care? And making out wherever and whenever?" Sai whispered as he leaned close to Sasuke's ear.

Sasuke didn't move, he stared down at the table top, his body quivering as he fought against his instincts. Sure, his wolf was a little more understanding now that they have bonded, but the wolf still didn't understand why he wasn't obedient to an alpha that was obviously interested. Sasuke felt the hair rise on his arms and he felt Sai's breath on his ear, whispering about a time he would rather forget. His wolf rose harshly to the surface, pushing out pheromones to entice the alpha, while Sasuke struggled against it. _It doesn't understand! Don't!_ He felt a sudden pain in his frontal lobe as punishment for suppressing a natural release. He squeezed his eyes shut from the sudden onslaught of pain, as it had been sometime before he had been subjected to it. His teeth clicked hard together as he began to breath through the pain, withholding a whimper in his throat.

Sai inhaled deeply, his eyes becoming half lidded and he slid a hand onto Sasuke's leg. He fingers rubbed small circles on Sasuke's thigh as he took another breath, "god you smell amazing still. Your wolf remembers me. Accept it Sasuke, we were meant to be," Sai continued to whisper into Sasuke's ear. "I wish you would stop taking those suppressants, you have no idea how much I desire you again and your full scent." He gave a small squeeze to Sasuke's thigh and moved his other arm to rest behind Sasuke on his chair.

Sasuke's eyes flew open at the squeeze. He clutched his book and stood up so abruptly that his cup quietly tumbled to the floor. Sai leaned back at the sudden movement, looking up at Sasuke who was staring straight ahead, his jaw clenched tight. Sasuke side stepped away from the table, slightly stumbling but caught himself quickly and then promptly marched towards the exit. Sai relaxed back into his chair and gave a small chuckle. He knew that Sasuke didn't like to make a scene, thus nobody had noticed his sudden departure. All except one, who's blue eyes were wide with surprise.

 **-intermission-**

Naruto drove back to his home, his mind a ramble of emotions. His wolf was growling in the shadows at the apparent move of another alpha on his intended and was demanding a challenge. Naruto on the other hand, was confused, pissed and felt a tad bit humiliated. He needed to think. His hands continuously flexed around the steering wheel as the image of what happened in the coffee shop between Sasuke and the other alpha replayed over and over. It was grinding at his nerves. _'Was Sasuke seeing someone else? Was he already taken? Is he a player?'_ Dozens of questions rambled through his thoughts, raising his anger getting him more and more irritated and humiliated at the thought of being played. He suddenly remembered the other alpha now, at the library where he found Sasuke that one afternoon.

 _~ "and who are you to interfere? This is none of your business. What business I have with my significant other, is not your concern." ~_

"Fuck fuck fuck FUCK!" Naruto chanted while slamming his hand against the steering wheel, not feeling the discomfort. His rage was slowly seeping out, he ground his teeth together as he thought about what the alpha had said during their confrontation at the library. He drove faster down the dirt road, kicking up loose stones along the way, suddenly having the desire to throw punches into something. Spinning his tires on the grid wasn't as satisfying. He slammed on the brakes, making the jeep fishtail into the driveway at the cabin and twirling to a stop. He pushed open the door hard, stomped out of the jeep and promptly slammed the door. His fists were gripped tight, as he took long strides towards the cabin and he barely felt his nails digging into his palms. Panting hard, he felt his wolf stimulate his rage at thinking about Sasuke playing him along for a fool. He embraced the anger, letting it in with open arms as it slowly fogged over the logical thinking area in his mind. He needed release. He stomped up the porch steps, arms quivering slightly as he slipped off his jacket, placing it over the banister. Next, he kicked off his shoes, as a ripple went up his spine and he ground his teeth harshly. He strode back down to the driveway, taking solid long strides, his body rigid and firm, and began to release. Naruto huffed hard through flaring nostrils, his teeth cracked with how hard he ground them as he felt his wolf begin to flow into his muscles and initiate the change. He flexed his arms to the side, bent his knees and embraced the burning in his muscles. He shook his head hard to loosen the muscles in his neck as it outstretched, his face tilting up and mouth opening wide in a silent screen as the skin on his face began stretching into a muzzle. He cried out in frustration as he felt his arms bulge and expand in length while claws began to form from his fingertips and his shoulders cracked as they shifted. He howled out in an agony sounding wail as his legs began to adjust into hind quarters and swell into long powerful legs.

Sakura heard the wail from inside the house and jumped up from the table. She ran to the entrance, meeting up with Hinata and Kyuubi who came running from other parts of the house. She glanced at them, giving a nod before flinging open the front door. Three pairs of eyes watched just as Naruto finished his transformation, his thick dark dirty blond fur ruffling as he shook it and his huge paws scratched at the ground while he heaved and panted. His hind legs gave stance before pushing off the ground and leaping into a run towards the tree line, small tufts of dirt flying in the distance.

Hinata and Sakura watched the wolf disappear into the trees and then looked across at each other for an answer, which neither of them could provide. They both turned to look at Kyuubi, who crossed his arms and hummed. "Don't know what the issue is, but he's obviously pissed about something," he muttered out, giving a snort of annoyance, while his eyes watched the tree line. He glanced over at the two women, who eyed him skeptically. "What?" he asked shrugging his shoulders, "I grew up with the furball, I've seen his tantrums and man did he get wild!" Kyuubi chuckled after his explanation. "Not much you can do when he gets like that though, except let him run its course." He turned around to make his way back to the house, not getting far when he was grabbed at each arm and forced to stop.

"Kyuubi, go after him," Sakura snapped at Kyuubi, her hand gripping his forearm tight. Her glare spoke of no argument.

"What? Why me? He won't listen nor will he want to talk to me!" Kyuubi whined in response. He lightly tugged on his arms, trying to release from the women's grip. "You women don't understand! He won't want to talk!"

"Kyuubi, he needs support," the quiet voice of Hinata was next. Her large light coloured eyes opened wide, pleading silently. "If he's frustrated, I'm worried he might hurt himself, or worse!" She looked up at Kyuubi, her bottom lip quivering slightly as she gave a squeeze to Kyuubi's forearm.

Kyuubi moved his head to look from Sakura and Hinata, his mouth fell open, and he tugged both his arms free and flailed them in the air. "Fine! Oh my god! I'll go, I'll go! Yeesh!" he wailed out in a whine before stepping back from the women. As he slipped off his shirt, he threw it to Hinata and mumbled under his breath something about mind controlling women, before starting to transform. He grunted out in frustration, clicked his teeth hard as his wolf released his form quickly, the final coat being a crimson coloured fur. He shook out his coat and huffed towards the two women, who were hugging each other and giving him thankful looks. He gave another snort and bound off the way Naruto had gone.

Sakura and Hinata watched Kyuubi disappear in the darkness of the forest before releasing each other. Both smirked a grin and looked at each other before releasing into a fit of giggles. "Oh my god! He is always so easy!" Sakura snickered out as she headed to the door, Hinata snickering behind her.

Hinata wiped her eyes between chuckles. "Oh yes, Kyuubi can always be counted on with a flicker of eyelashes! I do hope Naruto is okay though, to be that pissed off, I hope Kyuubi can calm him down. What do you think could have gotten Naruto upset?" Hinata looked over at Sakura as they walked into the cabin.

Sakura seemed to think about it for a bit. "The only thing that I have seen as of late that could possibly be a factor is his courting. Maybe something didn't go right? Maybe his _incredibly sexy strong alpha_ has declined the courtship?" Hinata's eyes widened in shock at Sakura. Sakura looked over at Hinata's wide surprised eyes and smiled quickly, "Ah but, I don't think that's it! Maybe someone just took the last copy of a Blu-Ray he wanted!" Hinata walked into the kitchen, her eyes cast down and she nodded her head and hummed in agreement. "Yes, maybe that's the issue," Sakura muttered as she shuffled through the kitchen with Hinata, grabbing the kettle to put on some water as they waited for Kyuubi and Naruto to return.

 **-XOXOXO-**

Sasuke laid flat on his bed with his arms tucked behind his head, staring at the ceiling, listening to retro rock music from his phone in his boxers and oversized t-shirt. He was quietly seething as he found he was unable to work on any projects, since he was just shaking with outrage after the coffee shop incident with Sai. After leaving the coffee shop, he headed straight home and into the shower. He could still feel Sai's hand on his thigh, his breath near his ear and he scrubbed his skin raw in the scalding shower. He was infuriated with his wolf for pushing his omega instincts hard without his consent in Sai's presence. His wolf didn't understand the consequences of those actions and he had repeatedly spewed profanities in his head as punishment. What else could he do? It's not like he could whip the thing for discipline. What made his anger flare up more was how he felt weak and feeble in Sai's presence. _Stupid, fucking, idiotic furball!_ After years of training to control the instincts, dealing daily with the mental and physical strain on his body because of it, he was able to surpass any alpha that came near him. Now, since he bonded, it seems that all that work was for nothing. He slammed his arms and fists down on the mattress several times, releasing his frustrations. _Why? Fuck! Can't you just fucking listen?!_ Since he was unable to suppress the omega wolf instincts when needed, his mind reeled on what he could do to not lose control like that again. He sighed loudly and closed his eyes, feeing extremely frustrated and drained.

His eyes flew open suddenly and he rolled over to the side of the bed, opening the drawer to his bedside table. He grabbed a small box, bringing it with him as he rolled back over to the centre of his bed, this time rolling to a stop on his stomach, his ear buds quietly falling out to the bed. Little voices came out though the buds, he didn't notice. Resting on his elbows, a small smile graced his face as he opened the box and pulled out the grey white pearl, placing it on his palm. He tilted his hand about, making the pearl roll around slightly and catching the light, making it gleam and sparkle. He propped his head on his other hand, while he watched the pearl roll about on his open palm. A feeling of calm and serenity washed over him while watching the small circular object in his hand. He remembered when Naruto gave it to him:

 _~ "It reminded me of you in so many ways," Naruto said quietly as he blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head nervously. ~_

His lips twitched up a little, releasing a little snort of amusement as he recalled Naruto's smile and looking nervous before presenting it to him. He allowed the comfortable emotions to sedate him into peace of mind. His wolf purred deeply, as he thought about the blond alpha and his affectionate manner. His wolf silently and subtly sent images of a shirtless Naruto, his body glistening with a mist, his muscles defined sharply, his hair damp and blue eyes filled with lust staring at Sasuke. His jeans were hanging low on his hips, the sharp outline of his V hip and a wisp of a blond hair trail, starting below his navel and disappearing down behind denim. Sasuke's eyes fogged over with a shiver, a small smile on his lips as he continued to roll the pearl about in his palm, becoming lost in a trance. The vision of Naruto in his mind began to run his hands up his tanned chest, fingertips circling rose dusted areola's and Sasuke could see the nubs perk up. Vision Naruto gasped lightly, his tongue peeked out to moisten his lips and he moaned softly. Sasuke's lips then relaxed open as he began to pant lightly, his cheeks flushed red as heat rushed into his face, and the pearl still rolled, catching the light. Vision Naruto then ran a hand down his torso to below his navel, fingers descending below the hem of his jeans, slowly and teasingly. Sasuke licked his lips as his heart rate quickened. Vision Naruto's fingers slowly dipped lower behind the jeans, his other hand running through his blond locks and dazzling blues held Sasuke's gaze hard. He whispered Sasuke's name as his hand disappeared into the front of his jeans. Naruto pulled on his hair, forcing his head to tip back, exposing his Adam's apple and releasing a wanton moan while his hand moved around beneath the denim. Sasuke couldn't breathe, his eyes couldn't leave vision Naruto as he moaned out Sasuke's name, touching himself and putting on the most erotic display Sasuke had ever seen. Sasuke felt his cock instantly come to life in an almost painful speed as Naruto's hips started to thrust in a provocative way that had Sasuke gasp and his wolf roll over with need. Naruto's body began to quiver as he bit on his bottom lip, his hand running around his neck and down his chest. His hidden hand moving faster with his hips thrusting to a hidden beat. Sasuke bit his lip and held his breath, watching, waiting…

"Sasuke! Are you awake!" A sharp knocking at his door had Sasuke yelp, lose his balance and roll over onto his back. The pearl rolled quietly atop the comforter and Sasuke blinked several times, bringing his brain back to the present. "Oye! Sasuke! You working tonight?" The voice boomed behind the door, rapping harshly against the grains of wood.

"Oh-my-god—YES Hidan! I am working!" Sasuke hollered back, his voice giving a loud bite of annoyance. "I am capable of knowing when it's time… ASSHOLE!" He heard a hearty chuckle fading from the door, as Hidan clumped down the hallway. Sasuke let out an exasperated breath. _Fucking prick!_ He then ran a hand through his hair, giving himself a painful pull of his locks. He slapped at his cheeks when he thought back at what he was just thinking about. _.fuck…was that?!_ _How the hell…?_ Sasuke sat up suddenly, his hand patting around on the bed. His head flipped around until he stopped, feeling the small hard object under his hand. He relaxed and let out a breath as he grasped the small pearl back into his hand. He quickly slipped it back into the box, reached over and put it on his bedside table. He slid over to the side of the bed, hanging his legs over and placing his head into his palms. His face scrunched up in confusion. What the hell was he thinking shit like that for? And about Naruto? Sasuke shook his head, bringing his hands up to his temples. It had to be his asshole of a wolf. He needed to get control, his wolf needed to understand the norms of the 21st century werewolf. _We don't go around humping everything that moves, jeezuz Christ!_ Sasuke looked down at the presenting problem in his boxers. _Stupid, horny mutt._ Deciding to ignore the issue, Sasuke stood, heading to the shower to get ready for his work shift tonight.

Thanks to those who still are hanging on :) More will come, I promise!

inluvwnaruto = my tumblr handle for anyone that wants to peek


	10. Chapter 10

A crimson blur dodged through the trees, leaping over small shrubs and kicking clumps of ground up. Pants and thuds of paws hitting the ground echoed through the trees. The crimson furred wolf was slowly catching up to the ash coloured blond wolf that zig zagged through the forest trees.

 _'Damn it Naruto, hold up!'_ Kyuubi called through the bond.

No response.

 _'Having such a tantrum. You know you can't out run me slow poke!'_ Kyuubi taunted Naruto through their bond. Kyuubi put more energy into his run, before he knew it, he was flanking Naruto. Naruto glared at Kyuubi, giving a snarl before sharply turning away from Kyuubi.

 _'Aw muffin, afraid I'll beat your ass?'_ Kyuubi laughed to himself as Naruto huffed out a grunt of annoyance. Naruto was so easy to irritate.

 _'Piss off Kyuubi!'_ Naruto snarled out.

 _'Ah! There you are! Come on my alpha, lets see how good you are!'_ Kyuubi zipped through the tree line and shoulder checked Naruto by surprise. Naruto stumbled but quickly regained his footing as his large paws gripped the forest floor and continued to sprint between the trees. _'Slowing down in your old age alphaaaaaa!'_ Kyuubi continued to taunt Naruto through the bond.

 _'Just piss off Kyuubi! That's an order!'_ Naruto snapped back as he turned between some large rock structures.

Kyuubi continued snapping at Naruto's his heels. _'Your knees might give out anytime old timer! Gotta make sure I'm there when you fall flat on your face! Hehehe!'_ Kyuubi continued to taunt as he slipped through the rock formations, catching the blur of blond fur dodging through the crevices. _'You know alpha…you should really watch where…'_ Kyuubi stopped speaking as he heard the distinct sound of Naruto snapping out barks, claws dragging across the ground and a long howl. His ears perked up, eyes widened as Kyuubi knew those sounds and he hoped to god that he was wrong. He turned hard around a boulder to a screeching halt at the edge of a rock cliff. He heard the unmistakable sound of something hitting the river below. He quickly stepped closer to the rock edge, looking over to see a drop of about 30 feet to a river below. Scanning the surface, he breathed out in relief as a sopping wet wolf popped up from below the depths and began swimming for the shore. He shook his wolf head and pawed the grass. _'Stupid short tempered childish hot headed - scare the hell outta me - alpha!'_ he muttered to himself as he made his way back through the rock formations to find Naruto.

Naruto and Kyuubi slowly walked back to the cabin, Naruto still somewhat wet and Kyuubi often nudging shoulders with him. Naruto would playfully nip back and Kyuubi would nudge him again. This continued until they two were back at the front of the cabin, Kyuubi taking a seat on his haunches and Naruto giving a whole body shake, loose drops of water still flying out like a light rain shower. Kyuubi snorted as Hinata and Sakura came rushing out of the cabin.

"Baka!" Sakura screeched out towards Naruto and promptly shook her fist. "What do you think you are doing rushing off like that?! Scaring us half to death!" Sakura wildly pointed her finger at the large muzzle, raised her arms in exasperation as she lectured Naruto. Hinata walked up behind her, Naruto's jacket in her hands. "Running a muck in anger…not realizing consequences of actions… idiotic…could have been hurt…" Sakura rambled on. Hinata waited quietly behind her, moving her eyes from Kyuubi, to Naruto to Sakura.

Naruto hung his large head, his ears fallen to the side as he accepted the verbal lashing from his pack mate. A slight whimper was heard and Sakura stopped and let out a sigh. She grasped the large neck of the wolf and embraced the neck in a hug. "God Naruto," she started as she began to rub behind the silky ear, "you know you can talk to us about anything! Stop running off when you get upset. As a pack, don't forget that we are here for you." She nuzzled the thick neck of fur before pulling away, giving the wolf nuzzle a quick pat before stepping back.

Naruto lifted his head and gave a light snort of understanding.

 _'She's right you know, take your punishment like a good boy,' Kyuubi snickered._

Naruto glared over at Kyuubi and snorted again. He shook his large head and stepped a few paces back from Sakura and Hinata, signaling them that he was shifting. The fur quivered throughout his body, his teeth were clenched as Naruto bore down as his wolf body shifted into his human form. When it was complete, Naruto bent slightly, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Hinata came up to him, slipping his jacket over his shoulders. He glanced up and gave her an appreciative smile. He adjusted the jacket and headed inside the cabin. He knew that his pack would want to discuss this situation as soon as he was ready and he owed it to them.

As the pack sat around the table eating supper, Naruto explained what he saw, what he was thinking, and his reaction. Sakura, Hinata, Kiba and Kyuubi listened quietly, letting Naruto finish his story.

"So, I can admit that, yeah, I shouldn't have flown off the handle like I did, but… umm… like yah," Naruto smiled a sheepish grin, chin slightly down, a blush on his face, feeling embarrassed of his behaviour. His hands were linked together, and his thumbs twiddled nervously. Though he had no idea why he was nervous, this was his pack, his trusted mates that he could trust his life with.

"So, you think that Sasuke is seeing this other alpha? Can you describe what Sasuke looked like when this _interaction_ was happening?" Sakura was the first to ask a question.

Naruto looked up, his one hand instantly going to the back of his neck and rubbing it. His lips pursed together in thought. "Well, he seemed rigid, you know? Like a board, while this alpha was moving closer to him." Naruto began to tap his other fingers on the table unconsciously. "And you know, Sasuke stood up really fast at one point and it seemed he was going to leave but then sat back down." Naruto brought his hand from the back of his neck to his chin. He propped up his arm on the table, eyes cast down as he appeared to be thinking. The pack members held their breath. They were all to familiar with the look and body movements when Naruto appeared to be coming to an epiphany. Suddenly Naruto's hands slapped the table top and his blue eyes were wide. "Well shit! Sasuke didn't want to be with that alpha!" Naruto then slapped a hand to his forehead. "How could I have been so stupid! Oh my god! How could I have not seen that!" He ran a hand through his locks and pulled slightly on his hair. "I'm such an _idiot!_ " he exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair, grasping the sides of his head with each hand.

"Halleluiah! The blond gets it!" Kyuubi whooped out loud, throwing his arms up. Sakura punched Kyuubi in the arm, hard. "Ah! Woman! What was that for?" Kyuubi whined out, rubbing his arm where she hit him and putting out his bottom lip, feigning pain.

"Must you be so insensitive!" Sakura growled and glared at Kyuubi. Sakura softened her eyes as she glanced at Naruto across the table. Naruto was squeezing his head with his hands set on either side of his face. He looked distraught at his revelation. "So Naruto," Sakura spoke to get Naruto's attention, "your next move?"

Naruto slammed his hands down on the table again, his eyes light with determination. "To continue to the next step of course!" he called out as he fisted one hand, slapping it down in the other open palm. He smiled broadly, "Excuse me, I have something to make!" Naruto quickly stood up then stopped, glancing at the members of his pack. "And thanks guys," he spoke softly, "you guys all rock."

"Phht," Kyuubi stuck his tongue out at Naruto. "Would be lost without us, probably fall in a river," he laughed as Naruto frowned at him.

"Or end up in a mud pit!" Kiba laughed out. Naruto whipped his frown at Kiba next.

"Heaven forbid he may get stuck in a tree!" Hinata snickered out.

"Or locked in the bathroom," Sakura chuckled along.

"Hey! Those were all serious situations! I could of – could have – died! You—you never know the dangers of those areas!" Naruto sputtered out, putting his hands on his hips as he tried to give a serious look. The group couldn't hold it in as they broke out into laughter. Naruto couldn't hold the look and ended up laughing with the rest of the crew as they reminisced those times.

-XOXOXO-

Sasuke rubbed down the bar top with a rag, as he picked up the last of the dirty glasses and placed them into a rubber tub. The club was winding down, with Kisame and Hidan shooing out the last of the evenings customers. The club was overrun with ridiculously giddy werewolves and people tonight that left Sasuke wound up and irritated. He randomly pulled harshly at a bright red paper decoration that was hanging near his head and threw it to the floor. He hated Saint Valentines. The club was always over run with red, pink and white streamers, paper hearts and bells, random balloons floating around and of course the drink specials were always a hit. Werewolves of all sizes and types would come to the club to take part in the _sickenly sweet celebrations_ that Deidara was always overexcited about. He took great pride in making every Saint Valentines a _'time for love 'un'_ he would always say. The night usually ended up with Sasuke having to sleep in another part of the house because of Itachi and Deidara's _loving time._ Sasuke shuddered at the thought.

As Sasuke started to pack up for the night, he was hit with a sudden citrus and fresh rain scent. He knew that scent. He hesitated for a moment then slowly turned. Naruto stood several feet away, his hands shoved in his jacket pockets and that same _ridiculous bright aura_ about him in that smile and eyes. Sasuke eyed Naruto wearily and raised a brow in question.

"We're closed dobe," Sasuke smirked out, "if your quick, you might be able to catch a lucky cherub still stumbling down the street."

Naruto snorted out a chuckle. "Sorry, but the thought of catching someone that's been marinating all night doesn't appeal to my hunting instincts."

Sasuke gazed at Naruto, "well if you aren't here to hunt for fat cherubs, what do you want?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he half smiled, "Came to see if you wanted to go for coffee, to…to help ya wind down before you head to bed, yah know?" He shuffled his feet and scratched the back of his head.

Sasuke watched Naruto carefully. He considered his options. Head home and deal with the probability of hearing Itachi and Deidara or … "Okay," he answered quietly, moving to place his rag with the tub of dirty glasses. "Just let me grab my jacket and clock out, I'll meet you outside." He turned to start packing up, grabbing his phone to text Itachi noting that he was going out and not seeing the quiet small fisted success celebration and mouthed "yes!" Naruto gave behind him.

The two ended up in a quiet 24 hour café a few blocks away from the club. The café was nearly empty, being it was the middle of the morning and only a couple of persons were present. Both persons were staring at their laptops and had ear buds in, paying no mind to the atmosphere around them. Sasuke hugged his warm mug of tea with his hands, while listening to Naruto discuss the apparent ongoing concern of shorting out brain cells due to ongoing demands of research by university professors. Naruto apparently thought that stock piling useless information should be utilized for those that are majoring in it. Sasuke just scoffed at Naruto's antics.

"I'm assuming with that noise, you disagree with my theory, hmm?" Naruto responded with mirth in his voice and a smile.

Sasuke just snorted, "Just can't understand why you think, technically saying, that knowledge is best left for those who seek. Don't you agree with the old saying, knowledge is power, and thus you should gain as much as possible to move forward in for decision making? Especially if you are already in succession to a position?" Sasuke leaned back and folded his arms across his chest, giving Naruto a challenged look.

Naruto's mouth fell open, his blue eyes wide on the man across from him.

"Hold it open any longer and you will attract flies, dobe," Sasuke chuckled lightly.

Naruto snapped his jaw shut with a snap and suddenly giggled. "You, Sasuke, are one amazing alpha." Naruto placed his arm on the table, and rested his head on his hand, giving a crooked smile towards Sasuke.

Sasuke felt his face heat up slightly and lowered his head so his bangs would cover his eyes. "Usuratonkachi…" Sasuke muttered quietly, as he turned his head to the side so Naruto wouldn't see his blush and smile.

Naruto wasn't fooled. He could feel the energy coming from Sasuke. He could see that his cheeks were dusted pink and hear the shyness in his voice. His eyes roamed over Sasuke's attire, admiring how the black button up shirt accented his smooth marble skin. The top couple buttons undone was a tease to show the milky skin highlighting Sasuke's collarbones. Naruto looked closer at Sasuke's neck, he thought he could see a hint of a tattoo just under the shirt. "Say, Sasuke, could I ask you something?" Naruto continued to rest his head on his hand, his fingers fiddling with his mug of hot chocolate.

"Hn," Sasuke replied, as he grabbed his mug of tea, bringing it to his lips to take a sip, his chin still tipped slightly low so his face was covered, hopefully hiding the heat emanating from his cheeks.

"Are you angry with me?" Naruto asked quietly, not wanting to piss Sasuke off anymore than he could scent from him.

Sasuke raised his face slightly, his eyes boring on Naruto's questioning look. He quickly took note of how Naruto looked innocent and was asking out of curiosity perhaps? "Not at this moment," he responded simply.

Naruto leaned closer to Sasuke, "Well, why do I sense you being angry?" he whispered so anyone nearby couldn't hear him. "Is it something I did? Or someone else?" Naruto asked, sounding concerned.

 _'What the…._ ', Sasuke thought to himself suddenly. _'Why would this dobe…_ ' Sasuke then widened his eyes slightly. _'Ah shit! The suppressants, that's right, one of the side effects…damn.'_ Sasuke then shook his head, his hair waving slightly as he focused on his hands that were cradling his mug of tea. "No, I'm not angry with you, dobe…Don't worry about it," Sasuke said with finality in his voice and didn't give any eye contact.

Naruto felt disappointed. He tried to give a look of relief on his face, but inside he felt that Sasuke still didn't trust him enough which left him slightly crushed. _'I'll just have to keep working on it, yes!'_ Naruto gave himself a mental pep talk. "Well, okay, if you say so," Naruto hesitated slightly, thinking about what not to say. He took a breath and sat up straight. "It's getting late, or should I say, early?" He chuckled at the small joke. Sasuke glanced his way with a small snort of a laugh, which Naruto counted as a success. "I'll walk you back to your car, since I'm probably parked near there too," Naruto suggested as he moved to stand.

Sasuke glanced at his watch. He had been sitting here with Naruto for, _'…three hours? Shit, has it been that long?!'_ Sasuke felt overall shocked that he had been in this dobe's company for that long. Especially when it only felt like maybe thirty minutes.

"You okay there Sasuke?"

Naruto's voice came from above him. Sasuke whipped his head around and looked up. He didn't realize he was overly thinking about how much time had passed. Blue eyes looked over at him, raised brow and slight concern etched in Naruto's face. "Hn," Sasuke responded as he went to stand up. He glanced at his watch again, _'Aniki should be done by now…I hope…'_ Sasuke inwardly shuddered at the thought of walking in on his brother and mate. He was then hit with the realization that he didn't bring a car. He rode with his brother and Deidara. "Ah shit," he muttered out suddenly while shoving his arms into his jacket.

"Problem?" Naruto asked.

"I just realized that I didn't drive tonight. I rode with Itachi and he and Deidara are most likely out for the night. Maybe if I call Kis…" Sasuke muttered while bringing out his phone.

"Hey! No worries, I can give you a ride home!" Naruto blurt out excitedly. Sasuke glared at him. "Well, errr…if…you know, if it's okay with you," Naruto quickly answered and chuckled nervously. "Either that or I'll wait with you while waiting for your ride." Naruto stuck his hands in his jacket, rocking on his heels, watching Sasuke expectantly, as if his answer was the answer to world problems. Sasuke eyed him suspiciously.

What should he do? He felt his wolf vibrate with anticipation with the thought of continuing to hang out with this alpha. Sasuke scolded his inner wolf. He quickly began to weigh his options. He would have to wait in the cold for Kisame to get there, and there was no way to tell how quickly he would get there… _if he got there, Sasuke reminded himself._ Though with the past recent events, Kisame wouldn't have him waiting long…but, _I hate to wake him, then I'll owe him…_ Sasuke felt his wolf vibrate at an emotion he couldn't quite name. Then there was the positive aspect of being home within a reasonable time. That in itself was in some way very attractive, especially after a night shift and the thought of being in bed sooner than later. By getting Naruto to drive him, his wolf pushed anticipation again, _but Naruto was an alpha_ , and Sasuke didn't need to remind himself about how he felt about alpha's in general. He felt his wolf push out an irritation from that thought. _But lately, Naruto's been…tolerable. Not to mention that he has shown so far that his way of thinking is nothing like some alpha's, and what Gaara said…and at the party…_

Naruto patiently waited for Sasuke to ponder his suggestion. He noticed that Sasuke appeared to be analyzing the situation and the offer given. Naruto smiled as he watched Sasuke's brows furrow in concentration. He could feel his wolf purr in content as it felt Sasuke's presence nearby. It would seem his wolf enjoyed Sasuke's company and was pleased with the results. It nuzzled at his excitement as Naruto took in Sasuke's features. His nose perfectly accented his face, complimenting his cheek bones which in turn highlighted his strong jaw line. His face appeared soft and would glow in the right lighting, but his glare and solid features could bring someone to their knees in fear. Naruto was finding that refined look to be the most perfect cultured features he has ever seen. He could not pull his eyes away at most times and had to fight the urge to want to run his fingers along Sasuke's jaw line and down his neck, wishing to feel the smooth skinned marble. He licked his lips unconsciously as he allowed his eyes to run down the slim features of his neck to his collarbone. His hands fiddled with the item in his pocket as Sasuke appeared to focus back on Naruto.

"Alright, you can drive me home," Sasuke nodded and turned to walk out the door. Again, Naruto pumped his fist in a celebratory whoop that Sasuke did not see.

As Naruto pulled his jeep along the approach up to the Uchiha residence, he whistled an appreciative noise at the massive house. Sasuke just smirked in the shadows, as he watched his home come into view. The driveway was several meters long after a several kilometer trek through a wooded area. IT was quite common for a pack to be living a distance away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Naruto pulled up close to the stairs that lead to the front doors and threw the jeep into park. The hum of the engine was all that was heard.

Sasuke glanced at all the dark windows of the home and thanked the gods quietly that it appeared everyone was asleep. He shifted to grab the door but hesitated with his hand on the door latch when Naruto made a sound. Sasuke turned his head to see Naruto turned slightly facing him, a hand still on the steering wheel and the other arm resting on the console. Naruto's facial expression appeared distracted as his eyes averted his own and wandered through the interior of the jeep. Sasuke eyed how Naruto was chewing on his bottom lip. _'Is he nervous? Whatever for?'_ Sasuke thought to himself. Sasuke suddenly remembered his manners. "Thank you for the ride home," he gave a slight head bow at Naruto.

Naruto's eyes quickly zipped back to Sasuke, a smile broke out on his face, "Oh yeah…well, umm…thanks to you to!" Naruto's words quickly flew out of his mouth. "I mean, well, thanks for coming for coffee!" Naruto then brought his one hand up and scratched lightly at the side of his head, the smile still there and his blue eyes looking up towards Sasuke.

Sasuke felt taken aback. He watched Naruto appear to fidget. "Something more to say dobe?" Sasuke snorted out as he shifted slightly to face Naruto more.

Naruto quickly stopped fidgeting and his blue eyes penetrated Sasuke. Sasuke gulped and was suddenly frozen with the intense look from those brilliant blue eyes. He felt no fear, just grandeur of light from those eyes and the calming citrus fresh rain scent that surrounded him that was all Naruto. He could practically feel his wolf liquefying in need and want, with tail wagging, tongue hanging, heart pounding desire need for more, more of the scent, more of the tranquility that emanated from Naruto. His wolf rubbed against emotions that had him incline towards the alpha slightly. Sasuke's eyes were slightly glazed over as his body unconsciously leaned closer to the heat Naruto was radiating out.

Naruto's eyes widened at the dark refined beauty before him and he was overwhelmed with the scent Sasuke was suddenly emitting. Naruto found himself inhaling deeply the earthy scent laced with something that Naruto couldn't name, but his wolf definitely wanted more of it. His mind fogged as he felt drunk and drowning in the scent as his face leaned closer to the scent. _'This…this…is this S-Sa'ke?'_ Naruto felt the words tumbling through is mind in question. _'Ohh… s-sasu… OH! Sasuke!'_ Naruto suddenly blinked and pulled his head back. Shit! "Err…Sasuke," he began speaking. He shook his head hard, bringing a hand to swipe through his hair, clearing his mind and pushing his wolf's essence down. He couldn't lose control, not like this! Not when he had just began gaining Sasuke's trust!

Sasuke blinked suddenly, his black orbs moving to focus on Naruto's face that was mere inches from his own. Sasuke sat up suddenly, as he inwardly cursed himself. _'What the fuck was that?! What was I doing? Oh my god, what was I?'_ Sasuke felt the anxiety raise as he realized what may have been happening. He felt the disappointment raise from his wolf. Sasuke frowned suddenly and mentally disciplined his wolf. _'What are you doing you flea bag? Going into heat? Jesus!'_ Sasuke's face may have looked calm and cool, but his mentality was fuming with embarrassment and he hoped to god his face didn't get all red.

"So…Sasuke, I, umm…" Naruto cleared his throat suddenly. Sasuke quickly glanced up towards him. "So thanks for tonight, and other times too…and I wanted to give you this." Naruto thrust his hand in his jacket pocket, his body twisting slightly as he maneuvered between the seat and steering wheel to pull out a small rectangular box. He held it in his open palm between them and held his breath.

Sasuke eyed the box warily. He felt a hard push from within as his hand seemly reached for the object against his better judgement. He placed his fingers on the top of the lid when a warm hand was placed over his gently. Sasuke's eyes looked up to see warm eyes and a soft smile radiating at him.

"Thank you again Sasuke. Sleep sweet," he whispered and gave Sasuke's hand a warm light squeeze as he maneuvered his hands that left the box in Sasuke's outstretched hand.

Sasuke glanced at the box now in his hand and he closed his fingers around it. His round black eyes looked up at Naruto's blue before he turned towards the jeep door. "Hn," he stated simply with a small smile and opened the jeep door, stepping out into the crisp cool morning. He quietly closed the door, to not disturb anyone within the home and trotted up the steps to the door. When he opened the door, he turned to see Naruto's jeep still waiting. The blond threw a smile at him and a wave before it was put into gear and slowly pulled away. Sasuke found himself lifting his arm slightly to the departing jeep. He tilted his head slightly, watching the jeep tail lights slowly fade into the distance before shaking his head slightly with a small smile on his lips and stepped into the house.

=========XOXOXO========

Sounds of his pack wandering through the halls, chatting and things being moved about roused Sauske from his sleep. He squinted as he felt around the room and home with his senses. His pack was up to sometime he concluded, as he brought his hands up to rub the sleep from his eyes. He stretched his arms and neck out, feeling his muscles expand and contract, letting out a big yawn. Damn pack mates, making all that noise. He glanced at the digital clock, squinting as his eyes still were blurry with sleep. It was only noon, and he only just slipped to sleep not six hours ago after his coffee outing with Naruto. He flipped back onto the bed and let out a groan. He suddenly smiled and inhaled a content sigh at the memory. The lengthy light hearted conversations they had took him by surprise, especially with how much time had passed during that outing. And when he got home, the surprised box that Naruto had given him. _'Oh! I forgot…'_ Sasuke suddenly recalled that he didn't actually look in the box. He was quite tired but high on endorphins that tingled and swarmed his mind up with a euphoria. He rolled over to his bedside table and reached for the small rectangular box.

Sitting up in his bed he observed the small box all around. It was quite plain, just a grey box, with what sounded like an article inside. _'Well obviously there is something in it,'_ he smirked to himself. As if Naruto would have given him an empty box. He untied the thin twine that was crisscrossed around it, holding the lid on, dropping it to his side on the bed. Lifting the lid off, he gazed at the articles tucked inside between two strips of cotton. A small decorative fork and spoon were laced together with colourful thin wire. The two colours were copper and dark blue. The wires twisted around the fork and spoon in an enhancing way that had the two colours of the wire complementing each other. Strung within the wires were small charms. A bell, a starfish and the sun and moon. Sasuke held up the small trinket and the small charms made a tinkling noise that was charming to the ears. He brought his knees up and relaxed his elbows on them, his fingers lightly touching and running up and down the gift. A small smile played on his lips as he continued to be enchanted by the flashing and jingling of the charms. He didn't hear the light tapping on his door, nor did he hear it open as a figure breezed in.

"Something new otouto?" a voice called out. Sasuke gasped as he dropped the ornament onto the bed between his legs. His head whipping around to glare at his brother.

"Don't you knock?" Sasuke growled out.

"Tsk tsk otouto, I did. But you were obviously enthralled with that trinket in your hand. You need to learn to still be alert to your surroundings even when you are focused on something else," Itachi teased, giving Sasuke a small smile. "Now come otouto, what has your attention so focused elsewhere this morning?" Itachi sat on the edge of Sasuke's bed, showing that he wasn't planning on letting this one go.

Sasuke gave Itachi a stoic look, _'Asshole…'_ he thought to himself as he let out a big sigh. He grabbed the ornament from between his legs and held it up. He said nothing as Itachi tilted his head and appeared to inspect the object with his dark eyes. Though his face held no apparent expression, Sasuke knew his brother was most likely having several thoughts whirling in his mind on how he could torment him should he realize where it came from.

"Such an intricate trinket, simple yet enchanting. Hand made too. Where did you find such an object?" Itachi's eyes moved up to Sasuke's face, a brow was raised in question.

"After coffee last night…from…" Sasuke mumbled the rest of the sentence quickly. He grabbed the box and busied himself by gently placing the ornament back between the cotton strips, avoiding any eye contact with Itachi.

"What was that?" Itachi asked, lifting one side of his mouth to a grin. "Must not mumble otouto," he snickered quietly.

Sasuke grumbled under his breath. "It's from Naruto," he responded with an agitated tone. He still didn't give Itachi the satisfaction of looking at him as he quietly wrapped the thin twine up around the box. He moved to slide off the bed.

Itachi's eyes widened at the answer, feeling slightly surprised. _'Could he actually be trying...no...it's to soon, otouto isn't ready...'_ Itachi's brows furrowed slightly as his mind twirled around in thought. "Hn," he breathed out in response before standing from the bed. "The pack is getting ready for camp, so get yourself ready." He began to move towards the door, his lips slightly frowning as he thought about the now two gifts Naruto had presented to his otouto. _'Kakashi, I need to discuss this with him,'_ Itachi glanced briefly at Sasuke before heading out the door. Sasuke was now placing the box in the bedside drawer gently and appeared to have a content look. Itachi shook his head and frowned. _'Definitely need to discuss this with him.'_ He slipped out the door quietly.

Panting hard, paws hitting the ground fast and kicking up dirt, the breeze flowing and carrying a variety of outdoor scents, had Sasuke feeling exhilarated. His mind was relaxed and his body was a buzz with energy. He pushed himself harder as he zig-zagged through the trees, leaping over large logs and brush, inhaling the scents of the forest and listening to the night sounds all around him. Sasuke could admit, this was great. His inner wolf vibrated with happiness as their minds ran together, bonded, at peace for once. Even the constant hovering of his elder brother over him could not deter him at this moment.

 _"Sasuke! Wait up!"_ Itachi called through the pack bond.

 _"Ha ha! Catch me if you can!"_ Sasuke responded with mirth in his voice. He was drunk on the essence of the free flowing freedom he was feeling in his wolf form. He had a sudden urge to play with his brother. He leaned his head down and added speed to his legs as he leapt over another fallen tree. There was no warning as he was pounced on from the side, a slight _'eep!'_ escaping his mind, as he felt his brother wrestle with him in the small open clearing near a stream. His mind overflowed with endorphins as he nipped and pushed at his brother. Their glee being heard in their snarls and growls, as they snapped at each other playfully and pushed at each other to the ground, each trying to dominate the other. After several minutes, both wolves laid upon the green floor of the forest, panting lightly, catching their breaths.

 _'I want to explore, where are the others?'_ Sasuke questioned Itachi.

 _'They will be along shortly, we have lots of time otouto,'_ Itachi chuckled lightly in his mind. _'How are you feeling,'_ he asked.

Sasuke rolled onto his four paws, hoisting himself up and did a full body shake. Bits of dirt, leaves and twigs flying off. He padded his way to the stream and began to drink. Itachi watched his movements, assessing Sasuke's demeanor. _'Hn, fine,'_ Sasuke finally responded while continuing to lap up water. His mind began to think of the past week. Continuing his classes, going to work when Itachi needing him. His conversations with Naruto. His wolf nudged a sensory area, making Sasuke feel somewhat complacent. He inwardly smirked and shook his head of the feeling.

 _'Sasuke,'_ Itachi interrupted Sasuke's thoughts, _'I wanted to say I'm proud of you.'_ Itachi's voice sounded soft and appreciative. _'You've come such a long way and overcome so many obstacles. You're doing well otouto.'_

Sasuke shook his massive head. His eyes wide with surprise as he watched Itachi roll onto his four paws slowly, stretching out his back limbs as he shook his fur. Sasuke was suddenly overcome with embarrassment at the unexpected praise. If he was in his human form he wasn't sure how he would have overcome blushing. He snorted from his snout as Itachi padded over to him. _'T-thanks nii-san,'_ Sasuke stuttered out the best he could, trying his best to not sound emotional. Itachi then began to nuzzle Sasuke's collar in an affectionate manner, giving a deep grumble of as his muzzle nosed into Sasuke's fur. Sasuke allowed the comfort of his older brother run through him. An emotion he could only describe as content rippled through his veins.

 _'Well, isn't this a snapchat moment!'_ A snicker came through the bond. Itachi and Sasuke turned to where Hidan, Kisame and Deidara broke through the brush. Their massive wolf bodies and fur shimmering in the moonlight. Deidara bounded over to Itachi and Sasuke, nuzzling his golden head between the both of them, rubbing his scent on both then giving Itachi a few licks on his muzzle.

 _'Aw, I wanna feel the love too!'_ Hidan bellowed out and pounced on the wolves, knocking them about and rolling over Itachi and Sasuke in the process. Deidara managed to avoid the collision and watched as the three wolves began nipping and barking at each other, pushing each other onto the forest floor, knocking at each other playfully with their large paws.

Kisame padded over to Deidara. _'Finally feel as a full pack hm?'_ Kisame nudged Deidara playfully.

Deidara huffed and nudged him back. The atmosphere around the pack was light and playful as the three pushed each other, nipping and barking, nuzzling, rolling about and just enjoying each other's company. Deidara and Kisame watched on with interest, both feeling satisfied with the evenings events.

 _'I noticed a few caves awhile back, wanna sniff them out?'_ Kisame tilted his head and perked his ears towards Deidara.

 _'Sure, let the cubs play for a bit,'_ Deidara snickered. _'Checking out a place nearby hun,'_ Deidara called out to Itachi as he turned to follow Kisame into the brush.

Kisame and Deidara came up onto some hidden small caves that were tucked in some thick trees. The cave openings had long vines falling around the openings, thus looking like they were just rocks covered in green.

 _'Aren't these well hidden!'_ Deidara trotted up to the cave openings, his muzzle scenting the air. _'Not smelling anything other than a few old scents of bears and wildcats,'_ he continued to say as his nose then rustled at the hanging vines. _'This one appears to be a larger cave compared to the other ones that only seem big enough for racoons and such,'_ Deidara pushed his wolf head through the hanging vines.

 _'You sure nothing living in there?'_ Kisame asked as he scented the area. _'There is something out here, but I can't place the scent,'_ he noted through the bond as his nose hit the ground and sniffed around.

 _'Kinda homey in here,'_ Deidara spoke out through the bond, as he was now inside the cave. _'Smells like there hasn't been any bears or cats in here for a while, though there is a scent that I can't place either. Doesn't smell human, or natural, but …'_

 _'Deidara?'_ Kisame lifted his wolf head, his ears perked forward, listening for any noise. _'Alright?'_ he called out as he stepped towards the covered cave opening. _'Deidara?'_ he called out again. A large mass came barrelling out from behind the vines and he was hit by surprise by a large blond furred creature and rolled to the forest floor.

 _'Dammit Dei!'_ Kisame called out as he felt the breath taken out of him and the large mass flopped on top of him.

 _'Surprise!'_ Deidara laughed through the bond and nipped at Kisame's neck.

Kisame jumped up and began to wrestle Deidara with his massive paws and muzzle. _'BRAT!'_ Kisame laughed as he frolicked with Deidara. A howl was heard in the distance and both wolves stopped and perked their ears.

 _'Guess Itachi wants us back,'_ Deidara noted and shook his massive body of twigs and leaves when he huffed his body off the ground. _'Pity, I wanted to figure out what that scent was, thought I was getting closer to the answer.'_

 _'I found one out here too, will have to come back,'_ Kisame informed as he shoved his shoulder into Deidra. They both broke into a run, weaving through the trees back to where Itachi and the others were.

=============XOXOXOXO===========

Sasuke was quick walking across the campus green heading to his next class. The days were still chilly during February but fresh with a crisp scent of winter. Sasuke inhaled deeply, feeling the crisp air taint his nostrils and fill his senses. He loved days like this. As he continued walking, he thought he heard someone calling. He slowed slightly and tilted his head.

"Senpie! Senpie!" A small voice called out from behind him.

Sasuke halted his steps and turned to see a small dark haired boy hurrying his way. He carried what looked like a to-go paper cup in each hand. As he quickened his step, his satchel swung out and hit at his hip. Sasuke adjusted his bag on his shoulder and waited for the young boy to catch up. It was Haku, a freshman at the university that he had gotten to know when Sasuke came across him looking lost in a sea of students. Haku was petite, had silky long dark hair and a round face. Sasuke almost thought Haku was an omega, but as it turned out, he was just a dainty human male. And he had just transferred from out of country, therefore feeling very lost and alone as he knew no one in the area.

"Senpie!" Haku huffed out as he slowed up to Sasuke. "Thanks...*puff*...for waiting...*puff*" Haku panted out as he stopped in front of Sasuke. His breath coming out in white puffs from his lips, his cheeks red and flushed from the cold and even his eye lashes had a bit of frost on them.

"Idiot, you shouldn't be running in the cold," Sasuke scolded Haku and giving him a firm look.

Haku shrank back slightly from the scolding. "Sorry senpie, but I brought you this," he shoved one of the to-go cups forward. "I figured you could use one on such a cold day," Haku angled his face with a small smile. "It's green tea, you like right?"

Sasuke eyed the cup warily. His nose picked up the scent of the green tea emanating from the small open hole of the lid. His mouth practically salivated at the thought of having a hot cup of tea for class. Did he trust to take it? After all, Haku was just a human, a freshman, but he had only known him for a couple weeks. Hardly enough time to develop a trust of someone. But it was just tea. Haku knew nothing of the other world, he was just looking for somewhere to belong and feel comfortable right?

"Oh, well you didn't have to do that Haku-kun, I'm capable of..."

"Please senpie!" Haku whined. "You have been so kind to me since I came, let me do this for you." He continued to hold the to-go cup under Sasuke's nose.

Sasuke sighed, shifted his feet and adjusted his bag. "Okay Haku, just this once," Sasuke reprimanded and took the to-go cup from his hand. Sasuke felt the heat from the cup and cherished it. "I need to get to class, and so do you. Thanks," he stated as he held the cup up briefly and turned to get to his class.

"Your welcome senpie! See you later!" Haku called out as he started walking in another direction.

Sasuke smirked to himself as he felt the warmth of the cup seep through his fingers. _'Yeah, it's alright this time,'_ he told himself as he headed up the steps to the building housing his next class.

After his class let out, Sasuke hesitated on the outside steps and took a deep breath of the crisp air. Class was unexpectedly let out early. Apparently, his professor came down with an illness, and the dean had come in to give a verbal assignment from the professor. They were dismissed shortly afterwards to prepare for it.

Taking a large gulp of the tea that he hadn't been able to finish, he started to make his way to the campus library building. It was a short trek away, but easy to get through if one went between the buildings. He adjusted his bag onto his shoulder and made his way across the grass. As he came closer between two buildings, a feeling of walking on a rocking boat overcame him. He hesitated, bringing his hand up to rub at the bridge of his nose and took in several deep breaths. He started to walk again even though he felt slightly dizzy still but then legs suddenly felt shaky. He stopped again, bending over slightly to take more breaths and lock his legs. He took another swig of the tea, hoping it would make him feel better. He blinked several times as his vision began hazy. He shook his head. Bad idea. His body swayed, and he began to panic. He saw the two buildings he was going to walk through and wobbled over to the wall, bracing himself against it. Suddenly he sweating and he pulled at his jacket, unzipping it, letting the cold air hit his skin. He was so hot! His breaths were coming out fast as small puffs of white escaped his mouth constantly. _'W-whats hap—penin...'_ Sasuke closed his eyes hard as he was hit with another wave of dizziness. His hearing was becoming muffled, as if being underwater. He leaned back against the brick wall of the building, pulling his jacket past his shoulders and he could swear he was on fire.

"Hello beautiful," a deep voice whispered out beside him.

Sasuke tried to turn towards the voice, but his body wouldn't respond quick enough. His vision was blurry, his hearing was muffled and his thoughts were foggy. His head wobbled slightly as he struggled to turn it towards the voice. He could see an outline but the face was fuzzy, like someone had turned the focus out on a camera. He felt his skin burn when the cold air breathed across it and he shivered involuntary. The black fuzzy blob moved closer.

"You smell wonderful, are you coming into your heat?" the voice purred out in his ear.

A warm slick wet feeling ran along his ear and he shivered uncontrollably. He couldn't help but pant. He struggled to lift his arms up, but they were so heavy and he ended up flopping his hand on the fuzzy blob beside him in a pathetic show of resistance. His skin now tingled all over as an overwhelming need he couldn't control began to build up inside him. _'N-no...I don't..._ ' Sasuke tried to speak but his lips failed him. He felt scorching heat at his neck and a body pushing him against the wall. The blob was in front of him, he could feel the blob nuzzling his neck, feel nips that could only mean teeth and hot smooth touches that could only mean lips. A hand moved under his shirt, scorching the areas it rubbed over with pleasure. Sasuke whimpered and began to feel nauseated at how his body was involuntarily reacting to this unwanted attention. _'P-please...s-stop...'_ he tried to call out but again his tongue and lips wouldn't respond.

"Shall we take this somewhere more private, my mate?" the sultry voice purred out as it licked at his neck and fingers pinched at one of his nipples.

Sasuke began to quiver, he knew that voice now. ' _S-sai! N-no...'_ he tried to lift his arms to push him off, but he might as well have been trying to move a brick wall with the state his body was in. His skin seemed to radiate even hotter than before and he whimpered as he felt his skin prickle all over from electric shocks that spasmed through his muscles. He clenched his teeth together, forcing his one arm to come up and grab Sai's hair, with the intent of pulling his head away from his neck. His mind screamed as he gripped Sai's hair and pulled, but his arm instantly weakened.

Sasuke began to pant harder as he tried to pull Sai's hair, but Sai just groaned in delight. Sai slipped one of his legs between Sasuke's, and Sasuke could feel Sai's hard on pushing against his groin. Sasuke tried to cry out with disgust when he realized that his own cock was painfully erect. His mind pumped out endorphins of pleasure when pressure was continuously pushed upon his groin. Sasuke's head fell back against the brick wall, his throat releasing a small moan without his consent and his body quivered uncontrollably.

"MMmm, yes, you remember now don't you?" Sai whispered in his ear as he continued to push against Sasuke's groin. He placed one of his hands on the side of Sasuke's face, forcing his head to turn and look at him. Sai could see Sasuke's pupils dilated fully and smirked as Sasuke continued to breath out hard puffs of air. Sasuke's eyes were flickering about, as if they were trying to focus but couldn't. "I see my tea has worked wonders for you," Sai hummed as he licked his lips. He ran his thumb along Sasuke's bottom lip. Sasuke whimpered again through his panting and tugged helplessly again at Sai's hair. Sai closed his eyes and hummed appreciatively. "I'm glad you still like it rough my pet, but let us go somewhere more comfortable, shall we?" Sai gave a fake smile.

Sai suddenly pulled Sasuke from the wall, the sudden movement causing Sasuke to stumble face first into his chest. Sai slipped Sasuke's arm over his shoulders and slid his own arm around Sasuke's mid section pulling Sasuke in closely. Sasuke's head flopped over, hitting Sai's shoulder and he released a small whimper. Sai tipped up Sasuke's face with his fingers and smiled at Sasuke's glazed over eyes. "I've missed you, let's get home now," he purred out and then moved his lips into Sasuke's for a kiss.

"What's going on here?" A rough deep voice boomed out.

Sai turned slightly to see a built blond coming towards him with clenched teeth, a snarl on his lips and fists clenched. Sai quirked his eye brow and smirked at the blond. "Well, if you don't mind, my mate and I were just leaving," he gave a cold retort to the blond. "So excuse us," Sai snuffed out and started to walk away with Sasuke wobbling slightly.

"Sasuke?" the blond called out and moved to the side slightly to get a better look.

"Excuse me, errr... Uzumaki was it? This is not your concern, and you are intruding." Sai began to lead Sasuke away again.

"No. This isn't right. Sasuke? What's going on?" Naruto took a step closer, trying to see Sasuke.

Sai turned slightly, baring his canines towards Naruto. "Sasuke and I are leaving now," he spat out and he gave Sasuke a hard squeeze around his midsection, hard, that had Sasuke suddenly gasp and drop his face into Sai's neck with a whimper. Sai turned his head towards Sasuke's and placed a kiss on the top of his head. He brought his hand up to cradle Sasuke's head and he whispered loudly, "shhh, it's alright now, we are going." Sai threw a smirk at Naruto before starting to turn away.

"What? Wait! Sasuke, Sasuke...are...are you with?" Naruto didn't want to finish that sentence. His blue eyes were wide with disbelief, his voice was unsure and he continued to clench his fists, waiting for a response. The way Sasuke responded to this alpha just now had him confused.

Sai stopped and let out an annoyed growl. He quickly grabbed at Sasuke's skin under his shirt that caused Sasuke to jolt closer into his body. Sasuke managed to gasp out, "J-just leave..." as his face nuzzled into Sai's neck, the rest of his words muffled. Sai smirked again towards Naruto.

Naruto ground his teeth, his lips fell into a hard frown and his face dropped to the ground. "Fine, I get it," he growled out. "I was a fool," he whispered out harshly. "Thinking that someone like you could be worth my time." Naruto's body began to quiver slightly, and his face began to flush red. His eyes flickered yellow as he glared up at Sasuke who was leaning heavily against the other alpha. He flexed his fists as he snarled out, "fucking played me I bet, like some stupid fucking game!?" Naruto growled out.

Sasuke whimpered out suddenly, the boisterous voice breaking through his muffled hearing. _'That...is that...Naru-to?'_ Sasuke suddenly felt hope. He squirmed slightly, tried to get focused. His mind still foggy, his body still not responding fully and feeling heavy. _'N-Naruto p-please h-he...'_ Sasuke screamed in his mind as he struggled against the burning of his skin, the agony of the heat erupting within him. His body continued to shake uncontrollably. He felt Sai squeeze his midsection hard, stealing what little breath he had. His mind threatening to black out from his breath being stolen. He tried to blink his eyes to see, but they were so heavy.

"Should have known," Naruto growled out again, "that a pretty face like yours was fake." Naruto's eyes flashed with hatred and disgust towards Sai and Sasuke. He bent down and grabbed his bag that he dropped earlier, throwing it over his shoulder. "Well bravo you malicious vile bastard, I'm glad I could see now what a slut you are. I'd say nice knowing ya, but fuck off has a better ring." Naruto spit out the poison words, adjusted his bag, turned on his heel and stormed off without looking back.

Sai beamed a sadistic smirk as he balanced Sasuke beside him. "It's time to go pet," Sai whispered as he patted Sasuke's head while watching the blond take stiff strides across the campus grass.

Sasuke wobbled his head as he blinked at the form walking away. He felt a pain rip through his chest as he tried to call out, _'Naruto, p-please...don' go...'._ But his lips refused to move.

xoxo===============================================xoxo

Well, there you go. I was actually excited with this chapter, wanted to post it fast and there may be some errors it *sheepish grin*

If you wanna leave a review, by all means do so cause they rock!

if you just wanna read, all the power to ya!

Keep smiling!


	11. Chapter 11

So, this may be a little short, but the choice was short to update or super duper long. Well, after you read, i'll let you decided. Feel free to comment and let me know if this chapter...well... what it did for ya :)

===============xoxoxo===============

The pain ripped through his temples like lightening. He couldn't speak, couldn't see, as the rippling waves of pain slammed through his head, against the walls and down his back. He threw his hands up to the sides of his face, his mouth falling open into a silent scream with his eyes pinched shut. His legs buckled from the torment as he dropped to his knees into the damp cool grass, his jeans soaking in the moisture and turning the material a darker blue.

His back arched backwards, but he didn't even feel it as his mind was a scramble of chaos as his human side tried to panic. His body fell to the side onto the grass, his hands still holding and squeezing his head as it tried to decipher the pain that rippled through his mind. His muscles held their rigid form as he thought he saw a form deep within the recess of his mind, could almost make it out as his mind was encased in a fog of darkness, but a sliver of light poking through and landing on the dark form.

He felt his mental hand reach out, trying to grasp the form, as it began to grow in size but still out of focus. The mental screams of anguish flew through the small space like radio waves that burst against the walls and vibrated his mind with pain. He realized it wasn't himself calling out the wails of agony, but it was the form, just out of his reach. He could feel his body shaking as his hand reached again, as if he could feel the pull, if he could only touch it, somehow he knew the pain would stop…though he didn't know how he knew…he reached… he was almost there as he swam against the continuous invisible waves of pain that tried to push him back.

The shadowed form suddenly flew towards him in his mind and as wide alarming jaws appeared to grab at his outstretched hand. The shock of seeing a muzzle, large teeth and glowing yellow eyes left him breathless with surprise. The pull he felt was a solid slam on his subconscious when the muzzle grabbed his mental hand and swung his mental self forward with such force, he swore his arm was ripped off. He could hear himself cry out as his body flew through the fog and the waves of pain as he kept falling through layers of water, that wasn't really there. With each layer he felt himself splash through, the fog would lift and suddenly, all came into focus and he understood completely.

Naruto opened his eyes suddenly gasping in breaths, finding himself on the ground of the campus, only a few feet from where he had just turned away… _'Sasuke…'_. His arms still wrapped around his head, but the pain had instantly vanished, and the realization was clear. He mentally praised his wolf for the help, bringing forth the clarity that he needed.

He whipped his head over to see Sai practically carrying a near limp Sasuke through the two buildings and making their way around the corner. Naruto slammed his fists into the damp grass and grit his teeth as he realized his mistake. His wolf slammed into him hard, bringing the reality of the situation to the fore front of his mind. He growled as he launched himself off the ground and sprinted off, determined to break something, his hopes, that it would be Sai.

"STOP! Asshole!" Naruto barked out as he ran around the corner of the building, to see Sai half learning against a black car and dragging Sasuke with him, who still appeared completely out of it as his head flopped helplessly about. Naruto skidded to a sudden stop as Sai slipped his arm out quickly from behind himself and held a gun to Sasuke's chin.

"I told _you,_ this was not your concern," Sai snarled at Naruto, his eyes flickering with annoyance as he held the gun steady. "You don't want Sasuke to get hurt now do you?" Sai trailed the gun down Sasuke's neck. Sasuke's eyes were glazed and half lidded, his body barely standing on its own, leaning heavy against Sai, not even aware of the danger that was presented at him.

Naruto's eyes began to flicker their yellow gleam. "Bastard! What did you do to him?!" Naruto's fist clenched as he hunched slightly over, his wolf clawing at the bit, wanting to be released and rip this other alpha apart.

"Tsk, manners!" Sai snarled again, with a smirk, he leaned his lips closer to Sasuke's cheek, his eyes not leaving Naruto. He continued to drag the end of the gun across Sasuke's collar bones and across his chest. Sai licked Sasuke's cheek, his eyes not leaving Naruto as he smirked a sneer. "Sasuke is my mate, and we are leaving. Leave, now, or I cannot atone for what may happen," Sai wiggled the gun slightly, showing his threat.

Naruto growled low. "Fucking, god damn, ass…I swear, if you hurt him…"

Sai gave Naruto a tsk as he began to maneuver Sasuke towards the back door of the car. Sasuke's body helplessly being manipulated in whichever direction Sai pushed it. His eyes still half lidded and glazed, face still flushed red and his breaths were heavy and panting.

Naruto's eyes followed every movement Sai did, his wolf still clawing helplessly within his mind, not understanding why Naruto had not moved yet. Naruto's mind was a scramble. He felt useless and angry, as he was left with the feeling of helplessness. A gun could still kill werewolves, if hit in the right area, just like humans. Worse though, if the bullet was laced with silver. Yes, those fairytales of silver killing werewolves, was true. Naruto's mind was frantically trying to determine a way to get Sasuke out of this situation and maybe kill Sai on the sidelines. Naruto panted through his clenched teeth, his muscles twitching with anticipation on the next move.

Sasuke's mind was fogged, but he felt something. His mind was heavy, his wolf was confused and he could almost feel it walking into walls. Sasuke squinted through his glazed eyes… _'what is that? Is that…it looks bright, like…warm too.'_ He forced his body to steady, as he felt his head fall slightly forward, he managed to lift his chin and squinted harder at the warm light in the distance. ' _…looks like?'_

"Come now Sasuke, time to go," Sai squeezed Sasuke's midsection hard.

 _'S-sai…no! I don't w-want…'_ Sasuke felt himself trying to resist. He tried to step towards the warm light again but could feel something holding him back. Sasuke shook his head no, but instantly felt dizzy and off balance. He felt hot, but not a good hot, an uncomfortable need to find shade type of hot. He felt his body quiver slightly as he tried to steady himself and move towards that light again. _'N-no Sai, let me g—go!'_ Sasuke heard himself say but wasn't sure if his lips moved.

"Sasuke! Can you hear me!?" Naruto called out as he for sure saw Sasuke struggle against Sai's advances.

Sasuke blinked hard. _'N-naru-to?'_ his mind called out. Damn his body for feeling this way, what the fuck was wrong with it? Sasuke tried to make his muscles do what he wanted, but it felt he was in a pit of mud and his limbs were weighted down. He squinted towards he light, as it became more focused, yellow shades began to come out as the unmistakable spiked hair came into focus. _'Naruto!'_ Sasuke felt his heart rate quicken as he tried to pull away from Sai, fighting the dazed and wobbly feeling in his mind. His mind couldn't register what was holding him back but be damned if he was going with him!

Sai grunted as Sasuke tried to pull away from him. Though Sasuke's arms were still weak as thin willow sticks, Sasuke continued to struggle with trying to push him off. Sasuke managed to lift his head again and see Sai straight in the eyes. Sai could see the glazed eyes trying to focus on him and he gave a wide smile. He pulled Sasuke's head in close to his, so his forehead was resting on Sasuke's temple, while his lips hovered near Sasuke's ear. He held Sasuke's hair hard, so he couldn't move his head and whispered, "I told you, you and I are mates, we are destined." He licked the shell of Sasuke's ear and gave a peck on his cheek. "No more interruptions," he hissed and then grinned as he turned Sasuke's head to look towards Naruto. Sai held the gun up towards Naruto and Sasuke's eyes focused in panic as Sai pulled the trigger, the gun blast echoing through his ears.

Sasuke's unfocused eyes watched as the gun was fired, the seemingly slow motion he saw Naruto's body propel to the side as if it was hit by an invisible force and then collapse to the ground. He didn't know if he cried out, though he felt his wolf's agony throughout his body and his muscles began to spasm out of control. His mind couldn't handle the onslaught of sudden turmoil that his wolf released and he instantly felt nauseous and weak. His body was already not responding, but this new development had his lungs deflating, his muscles continuously seizure and he felt his body begin to fall to the ground. He found himself welcoming the darkness that appeared to be overtaking his mentality, as he heard his wolf's cries from the distance and seen the continuous replay of the vision of Naruto's body falling hard to the ground. It was too painful, he felt better off in the dark.

Sai grasped Sasuke hard as he collapsed. Sai snickered to himself as he readjusted to open the car door and get Sasuke into the car. _'Not quite as smoothly as I like, but meh…'_ Sai smiled to himself, hoisting Sasuke's limp form into the back of the car and quickly closing the door. He glanced at the still blond body, gave a snort and headed to the driver's seat. He slipped the keys into the ignition, the car coming to life easily as he quickly checked the back seat to ensure his prize was still there, then drove off. A puff of exhaust quickly dissipating and settling on the still form lying on the ground.

-intermission-

Sasuke felt his self-conscious coming too slowly and instantly regretted it. His muscles were screaming out in discomfort. His head was pounding with a headache and his skin felt like it had been caked in a weeks worth of sweat and grime. He arms and legs felt heavy as he struggled to bring a hand to his face.

He stopped suddenly as his mind overwhelmed him the last few memories. His eyes stung instantly as his memory replayed the slow motion action of the gun, the thunderous noise, and Naruto falling to the ground. Sasuke's could feel the build up of anguish in his sinus', his heart slapping painfully in his chest and bile suddenly coming up from his stomach. Sasuke immediately rolled to his side and vomited. He brought a fist to his lips as he clenched his teeth, stuttering in breaths as his mind replayed over and over. He didn't want to open his eyes, this couldn't be real, he was living in a permanent nightmare for sure that he needed to wake. He bit into his fist and when the pain reeled his mentality into the realization that this was real, he wailed out his agony, allowing his voice to release his pain, for he didn't care who heard. The pain was real, he didn't want to feel, but he needed the release. He could not fathom what else he could do but to release his pain through a scream. He then chocked on his sobs as he rolled into himself, grabbing at his hair and pulling, as if the slight discomfort would elevate his torment. The vision of Naruto being slammed hard, his body falling heavy to the ground, already lifeless, had Sasuke chocking and hiccupping out sobs. It wouldn't stop, he couldn't stop it, it was real, the pain ripping through his wolf and his heart, was all real.

Sasuke lay still after his brief release of pain, realizing he still was somewhere he didn't want to be. He refused to open his eyes. If he opened his eyes, he would be faced with a different reality that he wasn't ready for. He knew he wasn't home, his senses told him that long ago. He didn't care at the moment. Behind his closed eyes he could envision a smiling blond alpha, who glowed like the sun with strong arms and legs, tanned skin kissed evenly by the sun. He recalled the pearl, the fork and spoon. A sharp stab at his heart, reminded him of the lifeless body that fell to the ground and he swallowed the sob that threatened to surface again.

He focused on listening carefully to his surroundings, but silently continued to mourn with his wolf, who could not let the vision go. Though his sobbing ceased a while ago, his heart was heavy and he felt empty. His wolf howled in darkness and Sasuke let it flow over him with ease. It was easier to feel blank and empty and sit within the dark.

Sasuke heard the distinct footsteps growing louder from a distance. He didn't know if he was in a room, or dungeon or in a cardboard box. He still didn't care. He listened as the steps came closer to him, he knew those steps, he was familiar with them having heard them sometime ago in his past. He wasn't surprised and he kept his eyes closed, because he still didn't care.

A door opened and clicked shut, as Sasuke listened to the shuffled feet that walked closer towards him. He felt his wolf's hackles rise and low growling develop deep from the darkness. His wolf was not pleased with the visitor obviously, and Sasuke continued to lie still with his eyes closed. He felt the visitor stop at the side of the bed and the eyes trail his body.

"Good to see you again Sasuke-kun," a deep voice whispered out. "How I've missed your presence around here. It had gotten dreadfully boring without you around. I trust you found what you were seeking in your absence?" The voice questioned with a slight sound of humour to it. "We have so much to discuss when you are fully rested."

Sasuke heard more shuffling and flinched slightly as a sharp prick entered his arm. He still refused to open his eyes, knowing that it was just a matter of time before he was subjected to something he had no care to see. It didn't matter, he was settled in his state of darkness, comfortable even.

"Just something to help you sleep more soundly Sasuke-kun," the voice responded when seeing Sasuke's eyes twitch slightly from the pinch. "You should be well rested enough to attend dinner," the voice gave a tone of formality to it as the steps turned away and shuffled towards the door.

Sasuke listened to the door click shut and drew in a deep shuddering breath. He let his mind settle into blissfully blank darkness, his exhaustion suddenly overwhelming him that he didn't know existed. He felt his mind numb and relax as his body shut down into sleep.

-intermission-

"Tsunade-sama?" a voice whispered through the crack of a slightly opened door, "someone here to see you."

The busty older woman looked up from a clipboard towards the door. She let out a breath of annoyance. "I'll be right out," she responded curtly and noted the woman's slight nod of a head before closing the door. She turned to look at her patient, lying still on the bed, an IV drip going down into the covers, a heart monitor blinking silently on the other side of the bed. Another machine monitored the blood flow and oxygen levels, and another recorded the brain waves. The room was dark, with a small corner lamp giving off a soft glow, enough to make out the areas in the room. She hung the clipboard back on the end of the bed and moved towards the door heading out of the room. She took a deep breath before opening and stepping out, she knew who was waiting.

Tsunade made her way down the narrow dimly lit hallway towards a small waiting area, tucked to the side, so as to not allow any of the public access to the room. She stepped inside to see several members of her once lively pack, looking pale, worried and downright pathetic. She stopped and put her hands on her hips as her eyes roamed over the pack members, giving them all a stern look. The look didn't hinder the pack, as they all watched with baited breaths for Tsunade to speak.

"He's stable, but in a coma," she bluntly spoke out, but with a softness to it.

Sakura began to cry softly, Hinata right beside her wiping at her own tears. Kiba and Kyuubi stood still, their eyes wide and red rimmed, though their faces held shock as their lips quivered slightly as they leaned into each other.

"Before you ask," Tsunade held up her hand to enforce silence, "I don't know when he will wake, nor do I know what type of mental trauma he may have or have not developed until he wakes up." She took a deep breath before bringing her hand down and quickly scanned the pack members before continuing. "He was lucky that the bullet went through his left side under his rib cage and out through the back, miraculously missing his kidneys, stomach and lungs. The bad news is, that the bullet was silver, therefore poisoning areas as it went through." She heard the gasps and sobbing of the pack members when she mentioned the silver. She knew they would respond that way, just as she did when Naruto was brought to her and he discovered the poison seeping through his blood and tissues.

"H-has the poison…" it was Kyuubi, trying to choke out the question. "Has the poison been removed Tsunade-sama?" Kyuubi harshly spoke out, trying to portray a steady face but his eyes failed that illusion.

"The poison, we believe that we got it all removed." Many breaths released in relief, "but he isn't out of the woods yet. There could be ongoing complications on where the poison had breached." All eyes continued to watch Tsunade as she continued to explain. "He's under constant surveillance in the hopes that we got all the silver out of his system. We can only watch and wait. Should something come up, our team will be available immediately. That's, that's all I can say for now." She brought her hand up to the bridge of her nose, rubbing the area hard, as she tried to control her emotions.

Sakura and Hinata hugged each other as they comforted each other. Kiba sat down hard on a chair, laying his face into his hands as he took deep breaths. Kyuubi placed a hand on Kiba's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"I suggest you all go home and get some rest. I'll inform Kakashi should any change occur," she nodded her head towards Kakashi who was standing near a corner of the room, "and Naruto is still in intensive care. He cannot have visitors until I inform you of any different." She nodded towards the pack and turned to take her leave. She stopped at the door before turning back to look at Kakashi, "Kakashi, a word in my office please." She nodded and headed out the door when Kakashi gave her a nod of understanding.

Kakashi moved towards the door, "you all should do as she says, get home and get some rest. There isn't anything you can do for Naruto hanging around here."

"I wanna find who did this and murder the fucker!" Kyuubi growled loudly as he brought a fist up and slammed into his other hand. "Like what the FUCK! Who would do this? Why would this happen? What has Naruto ever…!" Kyuubi began to get louder as he spewed out his anger.

"Kyuubi!" Kakashi raised his voice. Kyuubi snarled as he looked straight into Kakashi's eyes. "I get it. This is… it's hard, but you need to think smart and think about the others, the territory and keeping the pack intact!" He focused on Kyuubi as he walked towards him. Placing a hand on Kyuubi's shoulder, giving a small squeeze, "be strong, for the pack, yourself…" he whispered as he held his hand out towards the pack members, "and for Naruto. When he comes home, show him he had nothing to worry about while he was away. You got this." Kakashi patted Kyuubi's shoulder again before turning to leave. He looked around at the red rimmed eyes and sorrowful faces of the rest of them. "The rest of you, take care of business while Naruto rests. He depends on you and trusts you all to do what's right for yourself and the pack. I'll keep you updated." With that he smiled briefly at them, that didn't reach his eyes and made his way out the door.

Kyuubi growled again, he continually pounded his hand with his fist. "Fucker… fucker… I can't fucking believe this!" He began to pace, his breaths coming out in hot pants as his eyes flickered in change. He released a suffocating scent of anger and violence.

"Kyuubi please calm down," Hinata spoke out. "This attitude isn't helping anything right now." She wiped at her eyes again, her lips firm in a frown as she stood to stand in front of Kyuubi. "I want to know who dared do this too, but we need to plan. We can't all just go barreling in out of anger," she spit out as quickly as she could, in hopes to have Kyuubi settle. "You all know what happens when we charge in without thinking—N-Naruto has done that enough times and…and has left us several messes to clean up…" She quietly let out a sobbed snicker, as she remembered some of the antics that Naruto got himself into.

Kyuubi let out a helpless sigh as he watched Hinata's eyes lower after that comment. He grabbed her and hugged her in close, as her shoulders shook slightly. "I'm sorry Hinata, I'm sorry…" he consoled her as he hugged her tight, breathing in her scent as she hiccupped sobs into his shoulder. Sakura stood up and came to Kyuubi's side, Kyuubi lifting one of his other arms and pulling Sakura in as she hugged them both. She sniffled as she held them, and then felt Kiba join in behind Hinata and herself, his arms wrapping around all of them as well. The four stood there, comforting each other while they allowed their tears to fall again quietly.

-intermission-

"Time for you to explain Kakashi, and don't you dare leave anything out," Tsunade barked out at Kakashi as soon as he walked into her office. She was standing with her back to the door, looking out the window of her office, peering into the city night, her hands clasped behind her back.

Kakashi could see her hands were clenched tight, for her fingertips were bright red where her knuckles were white where blood flow had been restricted. He hummed his approval and went to sit at an arm chair located in front of her desk.

"I got a call from my partner, Iruka, who found him unconscious on the campus grass behind one of the buildings," Kakashi began, his voice cracked slightly. "He thought he heard a gunshot, so he went outside to look around. He could smell the gun powder and it lead him to…" Kakashi trailed off. He took a shuddering breath in and cleared his throat to continue. "The only thing he could see was there were tire tracks leading away from where Naruto was. Iruka did not hear nor see any vehicle. He called me immediately when he found him."

 _"Kakashi! Kakashi! It's Naruto!" Iruka frantically spat out through the phone line._

 _"Whoa, calm down Iruka, what about him?" Kakashi asked calmly, as he waited for Iruka to answer._

 _"He…he…oh my god! There's so much blood! Kakashi! I think—I think Naruto's been shot! Oh my god!" Iruka began to speak out hysterically, the fear echoed in his voice._

 _Kakashi's eyes widened as soon as he heard it. "Where are you? Where is Naruto?" Kakashi stopped walking as he waited for Iruka to respond. His mind begging that he had heard wrong._

 _"Behind the engineering building….oh please… Kakashi, he won't wake up, I—I can't stop the bleeding…hurry hurry!"_

 _Kakashi heard shuffling of the phone, Iruka's voice calling out to Naruto, Iruka obviously dropped the phone onto the grass or something. "I'm coming!" Kakashi bolted for his car, luckily he wasn't too far from the university. As he ran he called Tsunade before sliding into the seat of his car and speeding off towards the university._

 _He arrived in minutes, screeching to a stop behind the engineering building on campus. A handful of students had gathered, trying to see what happened._

 _"Iruka!" Kakashi called out as he sprinted towards him. He saw Iruka bent over and only a pair of jeaned legs could be seen. Iruka was rocking and blubbering out words through tears and sobs. Kakashi dropped to his knees as he took in the site._

 _Naruto was almost white in colour, a far cry from his healthy glow of tanned skin. His breathing was light pants and almost nonexistent. His lips were a tint of blue. A small trickle of blood appeared to be coming from beneath him. His body was so lifeless, Kakashi almost thought he was too late._

 _"Oh Ka-kashi!" Iruka wailed as he continued to hold a soaked in blood garment on Naruto. Iruka continued to sob, rock back and forth as he held the bloody cloth._

 _"Okay Iruka, okay…I'm here," Kakashi tried to stay calm for Iruka's sake. "Did you call an ambulance?" Iruka managed to nod as he hiccupped through blubbered words. "Okay, good, good, let me see now," Kakashi put his hands on Iruka's blood covered hands to see the wound. Iruka lifted his hands and quickly grabbed Naruto's one hand, squeezing it while rocking, tears continued down his cheeks. Kakashi lifted the soaked garment and saw a burn hole in Naruto's jacket, soaked in blood and more was trying to pour out. Kakashi pulled back the jacket slightly to see the wound, but it was no use, there was to much blood. He glanced at the puddle forming, "shit…" He knew what it meant and he went to move Naruto onto his side. 'Please be wrong….please be wrong,' he chanted to himself, but he knew he wasn't. As he managed to gently turn Naruto, the trickle of blood lead to a large puddle that had already soaked the majority of Naruto's back. Kakashi quickly grabbed the already blood soaked rag and placed it over the exit hole from the bullet and held it._

 _Iruka quickly took off his jacket and applied to the wound on the front of Naruto as Kakashi held pressure to the wound in the back._

 _"Hold on Naruto, I'm here, we got you. Hold on," Kakashi whispered repeatedly as he heard sirens in the distance._

"I knew there was an issue when I saw the wound not healing like it should," Kakashi whispered harshly in the still quiet room. Tsunade continued to stare out the window, back to Kakashi, but Kakashi watched as her hands flexed several times, as he told the story what he knew.

Tsunade turned, stepped to her desk and leaned against it, her hands gripping the side. Her bosom on full display at Kakashi, her lips pinched tight in a frown and her eyes glaring angrily at the top of her desk. Her hands squeezed the table as she appeared to be focusing on her next plan of action.

"Obviously, whoever did this, is familiar with us. Question is, who." She looked up to Kakashi, "who was Naruto involved with that lead to this situation?" She eyed Kakashi in question.

Kakashi brought a hand up to his forehead, rubbing at it before running his fingers through his hair. "He may not be involved with any particular persons that I know of or seen as of late—hunters in the area perhaps? I haven't heard anything, but maybe…?" He returned Tsunade's stare, but his eyes were softer. "Naruto isn't one to have any enemies that I'm aware of and I'm pretty sure hunters are not aware of his existence."

Tsunade huffed. "See if you can't find out who or what's been around as of late," she barked out. "I want to know details of where he's been, who he has seen, what side of the bed he sleeps on for fucks sake!" She squeezed the edges of her desk, an audible cracking nose released.

"Hai Tsunade-sama," Kakashi spoke out as he stood and headed out the door.

Tsunade flopped into her desk chair, releasing a loud sigh as soon as the door closed. She rested her head into her hands and let out a sob in the seclusion of her office.

-intermission-

Sasuke began to stir awake to something touching his skin. His nose wrinkled up and his brows furrowed as he tried to flinch away from whatever was touching him. His body was still groggy, not responding as quickly as it should and Sasuke felt that something brushing against his skin again, along and up the inside of his arm. The sensation burned at his skin and he struggled again to move away from it. He mentally cursed as his body again was still slow to respond. He swept through his mind, searching for his inner wolf, only to find it eerily silent. The sensation continued up his arm and was now moving across his chest. _'The fuck?'_ He turned his head towards the sensation, lifting his eyes to see what was there. His eyes suddenly grew wide and he took in a breath of surprise.

"N-Naru-to?" Sasuke whispered out, his voice cracked as he struggled to pull his hand up towards the blond alpha. The blond alpha's sapphire eyes twinkled as he gave Sasuke a brilliant smile. The marks on his cheeks curved with his smile and Sasuke thought that this was most beautiful smile he had ever seen. "W-what…" Sasuke began to speak. He was sitting on the bed beside him and Sasuke could feel the heat radiating off of him.

"Hey," Naruto whispered, his hand still tracing Sasuke's chest with his fingers lightly, "it's time for supper." He tilted his head at Sasuke, his eyes glowed with warmth.

Sasuke felt himself smiling lightly and his heart fluttering. "Oh, did I sleep to long?" he responded with a yawn. "I could use something to eat." He tried to bring his hands up, but they still felt so heavy. "I don't know why I'm so tired still." Sasuke frowned as he held a hand to his face and flexed the fingers, testing their ability and control.

"Probably need some fuel. You haven't eaten for a while, need to get your protein levels up!" He gave Sasuke another smile as he shook at Sasuke's chest teasingly. "Come on sleepy head, up and at em!" Naruto slid back slightly on the bed, holding out a hand for Sasuke to grasp, indicating that he would assist Sasuke in sitting up.

"Hn, dobe," Sasuke grunted out, but it held no spite. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly into a smile as he reached for Naruto's hand, grasping it with as much grip as he could. His head felt light as he felt himself suddenly being hoisted up and then suddenly stopped, his face inches from Naruto's. The blue sapphires glowed brightly as they bore down on onyx eyes. Sasuke felt his heart fluttering wildly in his chest as he found himself hypnotized and frozen on the spot. Naruto's eyes were warm and inviting, like an onsen, warm and steaming with heavy mineral scents. Sasuke could feel the heat pulsing from Naruto's hand that still had a firm hold on his. Sasuke felt Naruto's other hand run up his arm and stop lightly behind his neck, his blue eyes never wavering from his own. Sasuke unconsciously licked his lips and Naruto's eyes dropped to watch the movement and back up. "N-Nar…" Sasuke heard himself saying as he felt his head tilt slightly and move closer to Naruto's face. His eyelids began to flutter closed as he held his breath. He could feel his heart bursting behind his chest, his arm muscles tremor slightly and a soft push was given behind his neck. "Sas'ke…" He heard Naruto whisper as he allowed the hand on his neck to guide him closer towards Naruto's warm lips.

Sasuke opened his eyes and found himself staring at a dulled yellow ceiling in a dimly lit room. The scent of rot invaded his nose, the air was damp and cool and only muffled sounds of machinery and pipes could be heard. As his dream began to dispel, it was replaced with the etched memory of a gunshot sound followed by Naruto's body falling hard to the ground, still and lifeless. Sasuke remained still and silent as he continued to stare upwards, a single tear escaping his dulled eye, leaving a trail down and dropping silently into the material of the bed. He squeezed his eyes shut to suppress the tears that threatened to breach and reached out mentally for his wolf, only to find it eerily silent. He fisted his hands at his side, fighting to keep calm as he continued to mentally reach out, calling to his wolf. His calls were left unanswered and for the first time in his life, Sasuke couldn't feel the essence of the wolf and he had never felt so utterly alone.


	12. Chapter 12

So, here ya go, another exciting chapter. I guess it could be exciting? I found myself lost in it.

Warning! Scenes of physical violence, torture and abuse. Serious trigger issues here and I don't recommend you read those parts if you are sensitive to it!

```````yoyoyo````

Itachi ran through the brightly sun lit woods in his human form, his heart pounding hard, his mind struggling to find the answer. He leapt over small logs and bushes, he could feel the fear trickling through under his skin and fought to keep it under control. His eyes remained focused straight ahead as he cursed that he couldn't go any faster.

The woods opened up to a clearing, full of long wild grass, different coloured flowers giving colour specs in sporadic areas and the sun shining warm and bright across the field. It was almost romantic, but Itachi only felt anxiety as his eyes scanned the clearing, his heart still pounding hard against the walls of his chest. At the far end of the clearing he saw a shadowed form and instantly knew who it was. He took off in a sprint as the form began to walk away from him.

"Wait!" Itachi called out breathlessly as he mentally begged his legs to run faster. The form continued to move away from him as he pushed his body to move faster. The clearing then began to turn into a vast gray area, the colours began to melt into the ground. The flowers that were once vibrant of colour were now drooping and their colours dripped from their peddles into the soil, as if releasing tears. The sunlight was no more, the sky growing dark like clouds moving in from a storm, but there were no clouds, just dull gray colour. The grass wilted and browned as if the life was being sucked out them and leaving them a dry husk.

The form began to grow smaller as it moved further away, not stopping, no matter how much Itachi called out to the form to stop. Itachi's legs felt weak, they were giving up. "No…no please…" Itachi sobbed out as the form began to fade. His legs barely responded as he tried to push through what felt like mud, though there was none. He felt his legs begin to give out and he braced himself for the fall.

Itachi's body jerked awake with the fear of the fall and took in a giant gasp. His eyes flew open and his arms flung out to the side as his hands reached out, grasping anything in their vicinity. He felt the familiar pin prickles behind his eyes and he blinked several times to control it. His heart raced as he struggled to take in breaths of air. He lay there briefly, before realizing that his mate was looking up at him with concern in his eyes.

"Itachi un, what is it?" Baby blues wide and focused on Itachi's face, eyebrows raised with question. He brought a hand up to cup Itachi's face. Deidara noted that Itachi's eyes were swelled with tears though none fell. He ran his fingertips across Itachi's eyebrow, trailing down to his cheeks. He and Itachi were napping before heading to the club and Deidara had been nestled into Itachi's side, with his head resting on his chest when Itachi had suddenly jolted awake. Deidara could feel Itachi's quickened heart beat beneath his chin and he nibbled at his bottom lip nervously.

Itachi blinked again several times, his eyes flickering about the room, as if looking for something. He again focused on the blond head that was currently on his chest, soft fingertips caressing his face. Itachi brought his hand up, grasping the blond omega's hand and bringing the said hand to his lips. Itachi kissed the fingertips briefly as he felt for his wolf. He closed his eyes briefly, feeling out, searching into the depths of darkness before answering. "Sasuke…" he murmured. "Where is he?"

"Don't think he has come home yet, he had classes today, why?" Deidara asked quietly as he shifted so he could prop himself up on two elbows. "Did you ask him to come in tonight?"

Itachi shook his head and moved to sit up. He thought about his dream, the shadowed form—it was Sasuke, he knew it was, there was no questioning it. His wolf was currently feeling unsettled; emotions an alpha pack leader would feel when something isn't right within the pack. He was all too familiar with this feeling. ' _It happened once before that time when Sasuke…'_ his thoughts trailed off. He clenched the bed sheets tightly before whispering out, "Deidara, we need to find Sasuke—now."

Deidara wasted no time in getting off the bed and getting dressed. He watched Itachi grab clothing from the closet, "what are you thinking un?" he asked softly while watching Itachi slip into his jeans and a button up black long sleeve shirt. "Is there something wrong?"

"I hope not," Itachi whispered out as he made his way out of the bedroom, Deidara following close behind. "Where's my phone. I'll try and …" Itachi was asking before he was cut off by tapping at the front door.

Deidara slipped around Itachi and opened the door. "Kakashi-san, what brings you by?" Deidara asked as he stepped to the side, allowing the older gentleman in.

Kakashi nodded his head towards Deidara and looked towards Itachi. His eyes were serious, his brows slightly furrowed. "There's been an accident. We need to talk." Deidara gasped behind him and Itachi's features did not twitch. Itachi nodded and turned to move towards another room, Kakashi right behind him.

==============intermission===============

Deidara sat wide eyed, his hands grasped his tea cup, as he worried on his bottom lip. Kakashi had finished informing them of Naruto's situation, but he did not know if Sasuke was aware or may have been in the area. Due to the nature of the injury, Kakashi informed that they were sure it was hunters. Deidara shuddered internally at the thought of hunters being in the area and the damage they could do, having seen the aftermath of unfortunate souls that had run into them. Deidara breathed in a shuddering breath as he sought support by moving one of his hands to grasp at Itachi's, giving him a squeeze.

Itachi sat stoic, his dark eyes focused on his hand that was within his mates, feeling Deidara squeeze, keeping him grounded. His thoughts moved again to the dream and his wolf's restlessness. He grabbed his phone, swiping it open and calling Sasuke. He would be done classes by now, either heading home or studying at the library. The phone continued to ring until it hit the voice mail, where only Sasuke had stated 'Uchiha' as the voice mail and the familiar sound of a beep indicating it began recording. Itachi hit the end call option and proceeded to forward a text to Sasuke's phone before putting it down on the table. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Sasuke had classes this morning, he doesn't appear to be answering his phone but that isn't unusual for him. I did not request he work this evening, therefore he could be at the library or café working on assignments. I sent him a message and I'll let you know if he gets back to me or if he returns home, either or." Itachi nodded to Kakashi, "I wish the best for Naruto, his pack has my support." Itachi paused momentarily before bringing up his finger and thumb to his chin, he appeared to have had a thought. "There was a concern that has left our pack unable to determine who was involved, but a few weeks ago Sasuke was attacked in the alley by the club by three humans. Thankfully we were able to intervene, but it was curious as to why these humans wanted Sasuke, as they had only demanded his name. Could this be related I wonder?" Itachi hummed slightly, going over the past events in his mind and what Kakashi had informed him of what recently happened. "We have not found out who these humans were and what they were after to date. This concerns me. Could hunters be closing in on our packs?" Itachi turned to Deidara, "inform the pack, we need to find more information on the possibility of hunters in the area."

Deidara nodded and got up to retrieve his phone from the other room, "I'm on it 'un."

Kakashi leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his folded hands. "Naruto's pack are not aware of him or their pack of having any enemies, as well, their pack is not well known to the human world. Making this situation particularly concerning, as whoever had that gun, knew the results of silver in the bullets. Unless…" Kakashi leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "Unless it was some random thug that happened to have a gun with silver bullets he or she wasn't aware of." Kakashi ran a hand through his silver locks and let out a concerning sigh. "Alas, that sounds farfetched though doesn't it?" he lifted his eyes to Itachi, his eyes showing hope that it could be that, but knew, it probably wasn't.

"Hn," Itachi responded, his arms now folded across his chest, his eyes focused on the mug situated on the table top. "Will have to get the word out to the other packs of possible hunters in the area. We can start passing information at the club tonight. I will contact you regarding Sasuke when he comes home. Again, my prayers for Naruto and his pack. Call me if they need anything or if sometime arises." Itachi stood as Kakashi did, seeing him to the front door.

Kakashi hesitated at the open door, he turned and placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder, "take care out there and be careful." He nodded briefly, giving Itachi's shoulder a supportive squeeze and slipped out the door.

Itachi closed the door quietly before turning and walking back to his phone in the kitchen. He frowned as he looked at his phone to see no response. With this sudden development, his worry factor raised a few degrees and Sasuke not answering his phone or texts was concerning him along with his alpha wolf. ' _It's still early, relax…'_ he mantra to himself. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He could feel his wolf shuddering slightly with anxiety, as it reached out to sense the areas around him. Itachi tried to soothe the wolf, releasing mental calming vibrations. He then felt the warm arms embrace him from behind and the soothing effects of his mate's scent. He smiled softly to himself.

==========intermission========

The atmosphere was dark in the household, as Kyuubi paced the living room floor muttering to himself quietly. Sakura and Hinata were in the kitchen, nursing their mugs of hot liquid. Kiba came in through the front door, wiping his shoes off before heading into the kitchen and pouring himself a cup of hot water into a mug. He opened a container of hot chocolate mix and put heaping clumps of powder into his hot water. He sighed loudly as he stirred his mug.

"Nothing suspicious around the perimeter," Kiba reported out, his eyes focused on the spoon stirring his hot chocolate. "Nothing…nothing at all," he whispered out harshly. A small chocked sob escaped his lips as he sniffled loudly. He lifted the spoon out of his mug, brought it up to his eyes as if to study it before spinning around and flinging it across the room towards the sink. "NOTHING FUCKING AT ALL!" Kiba screamed out, his fists clenched hard, his body heaving in pants. Sakura and Hinata sat up straight, eyes wide with surprise and stunned at Kiba's outburst.

Kyuubi came racing into the kitchen from the sudden outburst, "What the fuck!? What was that?" His eyes looked over at Sakura and Hinata who were staring at Kiba. Kyuubi turned to see Kiba now fisting his chest, muttering and grinding his teeth when he turned back to his mug.

"Nothing…nothing at all, dropped something…'tis all…" Kiba responded with his head lowered, turned away from Kyuubi.

Kyuubi relaxed his stance and moved in behind Kiba. He could feel the anger and fear radiating from Kiba's pores. He moved to put a hand on Kiba's shoulder, "hey…" Kyuubi whispered out.

Kiba flinched his shoulder away, "I said nothing! It's fine!" He shuffled away from Kyuubi, making his way out of the kitchen. Kyuubi grabbed hold of his arm firmly, not letting him go. Kiba turned to face Kyuubi, his eyes now yellow, indicating his threat at whomever dare touch him. Kyuubi didn't back down though, he held that glare with his own and stood his ground. "Fuck off Kyuubi, let go of me," Kiba growled out the warning.

"No," Kyuubi bluntly responded, his hand not moving off his arm, his body stance solid. "Calm the fuck down," he grunted out.

Kiba ripped his arm from Kyuubi's grasp when he turned to face Kyuubi face to face. His canines flashed with a deep growl, eyes pointed strait at Kyuubi's in a threatening glare. "Piss off Kyuubi, you have _no_ idea what you are getting into," Kiba threatened through his growls.

Kyuubi raised his hands and placed them on Kiba's shoulder, holding Kiba at arm's length from him. "Look man, I know it sucks, really it does. But we…" Kyuubi began to speak firm yet calmly towards Kiba. Kiba's arms flicked up suddenly, knocking both of Kyuubi's arms off his shoulder which had Kyuubi shocked silent and Kiba then quickly slammed his hands into Kyuubi's chest pushing him back, hard. Kyuubi let out a sudden gasp of lost air as he stumbled backwards into the kitchen cupboards, his back slamming into the kitchen counter causing a quick pinch of pain on contact. Kyuubi quickly gathered his balance and released a snarl as he charged at Kiba, connecting his shoulder into Kiba's stomach, his arms grabbing hold around his midsection and pushed Kiba across the room in a true football style tackle. Kiba choked out an 'oof' as the air was taken from him and he was victim to Kyuubi's tackle. Sakura gasped and Hinata shrieked out as Kyuubi and Kiba went crashing to the floor, somehow miraculously missing the kitchen table. Both girls stepped back quickly, hopping onto the kitchen counter, giving both men their space as they began snarling and wrestling at each other on the kitchen floor. They knew they shouldn't interfere, there was anger and fear mixed in the air and if they tried to intervene someone could get hurt.

Kiba began throwing wild punches into Kyuubi's ribs and thumping his back. "Fuck off! G-Get off! ARGH! ASSHOLE!" Kiba yelled and spit out in anger, his face flushed red as he struggled to get Kyuubi off him. He kicked his feet up at Kyuubi's legs, tried to twist over but Kyuubi wasn't having it, he only squeezed tighter.

Kyuubi had buried his face into Kiba's chest and hugged Kiba's body hard. "N-no! N-not until—you calm—OW F-FUCK!… B-BASTARD!—calm the f-fuck down!" Kyuubi yelled out between blows of Kiba, holding onto his twitching and kicking body as Kiba tried to free himself and threw punches. Kyuubi released no raging fire against his pack members, he could only try and quell the fire of anger and fear that emanated from his pack mate. He grit his teeth as he felt Kiba howl in anger and took the onslaught of blows.

Hinata couldn't watch any longer. She slipped to the floor off the counter and kneeled behind Kiba's head, a distance away so Kiba wouldn't accidently hurt her. She reached out to his forehead. "Shh, it's alright," she whispered out as her fingers lightly stroked Kiba's forehead. Kiba snarled more and shook his head, but Hinata didn't give in. She then took both her hands and grasped each side of his head gently and whispered again, "shhh, it's okay, it's okay." She began to stroke her fingers on the side of Kiba's temples and cheeks. She hummed quietly while her fingers worked Kiba's head even as he tried to shake her off. Kyuubi continued to take the blunt of his blows and snarls, until Kiba's blows and snarls began to lesson. Kiba suddenly dropped his arms to his sides, his eyes closed and he sobbed lightly as tears began to run down the sides of his head. Kyuubi, feeling that Kiba had finally stopped, quickly rolled off of Kiba and laid on his back nearby, his body panting and sweating like he had just finished running a marathon. Hinata quickly lifted Kiba's head and slipped her legs under so his head was now resting on her legs. She continued to run her hands through his hair in a soothing manner as the sobs began to lesson and Kiba's breathing began to even out into slight sniffles.

Kiba, with his eyes still closed, then turned his body so his face was into her stomach and he pulled his arms around her midsection. He squeezed her tight and took several deep breaths. "Thank you," he whispered into her stomach and sniffled. Hinata continued to stroke his hair and hum a soothing tune quietly.

"H-hey! I'm the one— _whew_ —the one who took a beatin' here," Kyuubi whined out between pants. He craned his neck a bit to give Hinata a feign pout and puppy dog eyes.

Hinata smiled softly at Kyuubi and she reached over to pat his head. "Thank you Kyuubi, you have always been strong," she whispered out before moving back and stroking Kiba's hair. Kyuubi gave Hinata a kind smile before rolling over and sitting up on the floor. Hinata could feel that Kiba was still sniffling slightly and she nodded at Kyuubi to indicate she was okay with him. Kyuubi nodded back before standing and making his way over to Sakura.

"Hey, you okay?" Kyuubi approached Sakura who just slipped off the counter to the floor. Kyuubi ducked his head down a little to see into Sakura's eyes as she had her head lowered, her bangs covering her eyes. Kyuubi reached with his hand to tip up Sakura's chin. "Hey hey, it's alright," his voice laced with a soothing sound as he had her look up to his eyes. Her eyes were puffy, tear marks down her cheeks, her nose red from crying. "Come're you," Kyuubi purred out and enveloped Sakura into his arms. She let out some shaky breaths as she accepted the embrace of Kyuubi and settled into his heat. He rocked her gently while releasing a calming scent to the room. "Kinda dramatic for a bit eh?" Kyuubi lightly chuckled out as he rubbed Sakura's back. "I promise we will figure this out and Naruto will come home," Kyuubi firmly spoke out. "I promise…"

===========intermission==============

Kakashi arrived a short time later to the disheveled pack. He wasn't surprised though, it would have surprised him if the pack wasn't. He needed to discuss with the pack and come up with ideas on how and why what had happened to Naruto had happened. They all sat in the kitchen at the dining table, a teapot sitting in the centre, currently seeping the bags within it, and the pack was silent, as if no one knew where to start.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Listen crew, we need to start breaking down the events that led up to today. Let's start backwards, starting from when Naruto was at the university. Was he attending classes today?" He looked to each of the pack members for answers.

Sakura nodded her head. "Yes, he got up this morning stating he had a class first thing and would be back before work," she tapped her finger on her cheek, as she thought about the day.

"Don't forget he was mentioning picking up something at a shop, though I can't recall exactly what and where," Hinata added. "I was still upstairs when he brought it up." She shrugged slightly.

"Naruto was still on cloud nine talking about when he saw Sasuke the other night," Kiba added. "He mentioned that he needed to pick up supplies for when he next met with Sasuke." Kiba nodded his head towards Kyuubi.

Kyuubi nodded. "I guess Naruto had a successful coffee outing with Sasuke the other night after Valentines. He was ridiculously looking like he had hearts for eyes and was floating on air," Kyuubi flitted his palms near his head and rolled his eyes around, showing a display of love sickness. "It was so overwhelming with love that I almost chocked on it!" Kyuubi stuck his tongue out in a vomit like gesture before laughing.

Sakura smacked Kyuubi's arm, "Kyuubi! How cruel! Naruto's in love! Just cause you haven't had that feeling yet!" Kyuubi _eeped!_ and leaned away from Sakura and her fists, making phony cries of hurt and cradling his arm where Sakura smacked him.

Kakashi watched the banter with amused eyes before getting serious again. "Okay, so we got that pretty much figured out that Naruto is smitten with Sasuke. Does anyone know if Naruto had any contact with someone or _someones_ that may want him or the pack?" Kakashi moved his eyes to each pack member as they lowered their eyes in thought.

"Well, there is the time that Naruto was pissed off at this other alpha when he thought Sasuke was playing him," Kyuubi spoke up first. "But I wouldn't say that the other alpha was out to get Naruto, per say…"

"Still its something, what can you tell me?" Kakashi asked, pulling out a pad of paper and pen. "Anything you know is worth something."

Kyuubi informed Kakashi of the time Naruto came home angry at what he saw between Sasuke and the other alpha in the coffee shop. Kakashi nodded and wrote in his book. Hinata added the time that Naruto had met up with Sasuke at the Christmas gala and Orochimaru Sanin whom Naruto described as creepy and snake like. Kakashi continued to nod and make notes.

"The only other thing that has happened, was the scent of vampires near our border. But Naruto went to talk to Tsunade-sama about it and he mentioned that they were looking into any concerns with the colonies that may be in the area," Kiba added at the end of the explanations. "We haven't seen Naruto connect with any suspicious characters and he certainly hasn't mentioned anything." Kiba scratched his head with his lips pouted in thought.

Kakashi scratched a few more notes in his book before closing it up. He inhaled deep before resting back into the chair. "If you all think of anything else, do not hesitate to let me know. Text, call or come see me. In the meantime, let other packs know of the possibility of hunters in the area using silver bullets. Do not, and I mean it, do not approach a hunter if you are alone." He gave them all a stern look. "Keep notes, watch out for each other and make sure everyone knows where you are." He moved to get up, slipping his notebook into his inside jacket pocket. "Oh, and I happen to know the Uchiha pack members, I will be following up with them as well since Naruto was smitten with Sasuke." He winked at the members before adding, "I'll keep you informed." He nodded as he turned out of the kitchen and headed out of the cottage. As he walked towards his car, the comments and information from Naruto's pack swam about in his mind. Nothing seemed to jump out at him as being a threat by a hunter or by someone who used a silver bullet against him. He frowned as he the events of the day went through his mind again. As he opened the door to his car, he leaned against the door frame, resting his head on his forearm and watching as his breath turned to fine white fog as he breathed out. Suddenly he felt like he needed a cigarette.

===========XOXOXO============

Itachi paced the office located in the club. His face focusing on his phone, his one hand squeezing it tightly as his other hand rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could feel his frustration and concern rising as his wolf began to pace and paw at the edges of his mentality. His wolf was demanding release as it struggled to come to terms of Itachi's concerns. He hadn't heard back from Sasuke. Sasuke hadn't come home yet and didn't show up at the club. Itachi had sent Kisame to the library and Hidan to the café that Sasuke frequented. Neither had seen any sign of Sasuke and Itachi was barely holding himself together. His last hope was that Sasuke would show up at the club after he sent him a message requesting he let him know if he was home or come by the club. It was well after midnight and the atmosphere of the club had become somber after the news of possible hunters in the area.

He shoved his phone into his pocket and stood by his desk, leaning against it and closed his eyes. Kakashi had no other leads and had not seen nor heard from Sasuke today either. Itachi took in a deep breath as he thought about his earlier dream. He reached out to his wolf and felt its concern and he sought out the familiar scent and mentality of Sasuke, of course finding nothing. He thought of his next move and suddenly opened his eyes. He had a plan, but it required an early closure. He made his way to the office door to talk to his pack out in the crowd.

Itachi drove the pack to the university in the early morning hours. No one had heard or seen Sasuke since that morning and with the situation that happened to Naruto, Itachi could not ignore the possibility that something happened. He didn't want to think that way, but there was no other explanations to go with. He pulled into the campus grounds, weaving the SUV through the winding roads of the campus grounds till he found the building that Kakashi explained where Naruto was found. He parked near the engineering building and killed the engine. "Okay, this is the area where Naruto was found. All of you transform and sniff about. I want to know if Sasuke was in the area when it happened." The pack nodded while leaving the SUV and all transformed immediately. Being the early morning hours of the day, the place was deserted, and a fog hung heavily in the area as it was the time of year where the mornings were cold and humid. The pack began to make their way around the campus buildings scenting the air and ground.

It wasn't long before Kisame called out he located Sasuke's scent and the pack all gathered to the area immediately. Itachi could smell the overwhelming smell of lycan blood on the ground, gun powder and the unmistakable scent of his otouto. He quickly mapped the area of where Sasuke was coming from and where he ended up, near Naruto's blood. Itachi snorted before heading back the way Sasuke's scent started from. As his nose followed the scent, Itachi came across an empty to go cup. It faintly held a scent of Sasuke and tea. Itachi sniffed closer and found another scent but could not identify it. He huffed at the disposable cup, causing it to roll away, spilling what little liquid was left in it. Itachi sniffed at the liquid and mentally frowned at not recognizing the unfamiliar scent coming from the liquid. Whatever it was it wasn't tea and Itachi noted another scent on the ground. An all too familiar scent trigged his senses that Itachi had thought had long left the area.

 _'Kisame, Hidan, over here!'_ Itachi called out through the bond. He felt the two approach him from behind. _'This scent with Sasuke's, do you recognize it?'_

Kisame and Hidan scented the area and both lifted their heads and growled. _'Sai!'_ Kisame growled out. Hidan snorted loudly and pawed aggressively at the ground in agreement.

 _'Track the scent to confirm!'_ Itachi commanded as he continued to examine the liquid that fell from the cup that held the tea.

Deidara padded up next to Itachi to observe what Itachi was inspecting. _'Something there 'un?'_ he asked softly.

Itachi huffed and pushed the cup towards Deidara. Deidara nosed the cup, scenting it before laying his ears back and snarling lightly at it. Itachi perked his ears up at Deidara and tilted his head in question.

 _'I've scented this drug before. It's used to bring out premature heats in omegas. It's a date rape drug for werewolves 'un. Don't know who invented it, but popular around brothels and pimps.'_ Deidara snorted out and stomped on the cup, crushing it beneath his massive paw. _'If Sasuke drank this tinted tea, he wouldn't have been able to comprehend what may have been happening or been able to fend for himself. His senses would have been muddled 'un! Oh my god Itachi, what if…'_ Deidara began to whimper and toss his head in agony as he thought of situations that could have happened.

 _'Deidara enough!'_ It was Hidan. _'We can't get worked up thinking about situations like that! We will find Sasuke and rip apart all who is involved!'_ he snarled and barked out. Deidara lowered his head and yipped a response.

Itachi followed the scents to the blood-soaked ground and found the car tracks. _'It looks like Sasuke was put in a car and Sai's scent is right with him!'_ he called out through the bond. The others came to the area and studied the tracks. Itachi growled loudly and let out a wallowing howl. He shook his head harshly and released his anger and frustrations through his snarls and howls. He stamped angrily at the ground, feeling his claws rip through the grass and rocky soil and feeling slightly invigorated as he heard the grass rip from the ground. The anger rippled through his skin and his wolf tore at his mentality, demanding justice on who so dare harm a member of its pack. Itachi's alpha wolf demanded release as it forced froth to expel from its muzzle while it snarled and snapped out. The large wolf head swung, froth spraying out from the momentum of the swinging, panting growls huffed out as the wolf released another agonizing howl. As Itachi's wolf form began to tremble, the others stepped back giving him space and showing their obedience by lowering their heads to the ground. The large wolf began to radiate out power and sovereignty and commanded submission from those around it as it slobber dripped in large masses through bared teeth to the ground. Growls erupted from deep within its chest as it eyed the wolves around it.

 _'Superior alpha has emerged,'_ Deidara whispered harshly through the bond. Deidara whined quietly thinking of the pain and sorrow Itachi must be going through as the superior alpha was able to come to the surface of Itachi's mind. He lowered himself to all fours and crawled towards the panting growling alpha wolf that eyed him warily. _'My alpha,'_ Deidara whined out as he crawled himself below the muzzle of the large wolf. Deidara rolled onto his back, showing his submission by exposing his belly. The most vulnerable submissive stance a wolf could take. The large alpha eyed Deidara warily, tilting his nose to scent him before moving its massive body to cover the wolf body of Deidara. The alpha shoved his thick muzzle into Deidara's back end, nuzzling and scenting the area as Deidara shuddered in response. The powerful alpha above excited him to an extent he thought he would explode in pleasure just from being scented. He began to pant as the powerful alpha continued to push and kneed at Deidara's back end with its muzzle, enforcing its dominance with snarls and then finally it began tonguing the area. Deidara whimpered in excitement as he felt himself slick up from the pleasure and the alpha lapped at it, clearly enjoying the nectar that was released. Kisame and Hidan kept their heads lowered as the superior alpha demanded submission from his mate. They did not interfere as the alpha flipped Deidara harshly onto all fours and straddled his back side. They kept their heads lowered as the superior alpha bit into the scruff of Deidara to hold him still while he impaled his thick cock into his mate. The sounds of Deidara panting and whimpering, the alpha snarling out pants as he thrust hard and fast into Deidara was all that was heard as the pack mates waited for their superior alpha.

When the superior alpha was finished with its mate, it released Deidara from its jaws and stepped back, its large cock making a suction noise as it slid free from Deidara's entrance. Deidara rolled to his side, panting lightly as streams of cum trickled from his entrance to the ground. The alpha nuzzled Deidara's entrance causing Deidara to whimper slightly before snorting out in satisfaction and then shook its massive head. Its ears then lowered, its eyes squinted shut briefly before it lowered its large form to the ground. Puffs of air stirred up the loose dirt on the ground, making it swirl about before it settled back down to the ground. Kisame and Hidan still remained in their submissive postures, waiting patiently, Deidara lying on his side panting lightly and catching his breath. The quiet held for several minutes before the alpha reopened its eyes and stumbled slightly as it rose to its feet. The body shook from head to tail, fluffing out the fur before its eyes focused in on the pack members. Deidara lifted his head and gave a small whine.

 _'Itachi-sama,'_ he breathed out in a whisper through the bond. Itachi's wolf head turned quickly towards Deidara who continued to lay on his side. Itachi moved towards Deidara, lowering his head and rubbing against Deidara's neck. Deidara laid his head back down and embraced Itachi doting on him. His whole body was aching with exhausted pleasure and he wasn't sure if he would be able to stand up yet. Itachi groomed his face, his muzzle, his ears and Deidara could almost purr from the attention.

Itachi suddenly stood and turned towards Kisame and Hidan. _'Head back and contact Kakashi. Let him know what we have found and the possibility of who may have taken Sasuke. We will continue with our own research as well.'_ Kisame and Hidan barked out a response and both turned as they headed back to the house. Itachi turned back to Deidara, who still sprawled out on the ground, panting slightly. Itachi felt his chest swell with pride as he took in the satisfied and sated look of his mate. He often worried if his superior alpha was too rough for his mate. It was extremely rare for the alpha to appear and when it did, Deidara knew how to quell its lust. He lowered his head and licked at Deidara's muzzle as he waited for Deidara to give him the sign he was ready and able to move.

=============intermission==============

Kakashi took down the notes Kisame had informed him of and informed Kisame that he would be in touch when he found information on where Sai may be located. Kisame informed the same and ended the call. Kakashi sat back in his lounge chair and ran his palms over his face. He could feel the dark rings developing under his eyes and the heaviness of the day's events weighing down on him. As he thought about the information the Uchiha pack had come up with, he tried connecting the dots. If Sai was involved, would he have silver bullets? It didn't make sense, as Sai was an alpha werewolf himself, knowing what effects silver has. Maybe Sasuke was just in that exact same area shortly before Naruto was shot. Were there were hunters in the area and they had seen Sasuke and Sai arguing and the hunters decided to get involved and break it up? Kakashi let out a deep sigh. Nothing was making much sense anymore tonight. He would update Tsunade tomorrow on the new information after getting some sleep. He only hoped that he could get a least a couple hours shut eye, he needed a fresh mind to put together the pieces of this information if it means saving Naruto and finding Sasuke.

-XOXOXO-

Sai stormed down a dimly lit hallway, his fists were clenched, and he could feel the irritation continuously build within him. He was not pleased with the recent conversation he had with Kabuto earlier.

 _'What do you mean I can't see him yet! He's my mate and under my protection!' Sai seethed out to Kabuto who gave him a bored look._

 _'Sensei has requested Sasuke-kun get well rested prior to any involvement. Sensei would like to ensure Sasuke-kun healthy and of sound mind after his long absence,' Kabuto drawled out in another bored expression. He continued making notes in a book after examining various liquids in jars._

 _'What the fuck! Tell me where he is!' Sai spit out as he slammed his fist on the table. Kabuto paused his vile mid lift and eyed Sai briefly. He lifted his lip into a smirk and snorted as he placed the vile down back with the others._

 _'If you have a problem with sensei's order, I suggest you take yourself off the visitors list and leave,' Kabuto hissed out with a snarl. 'You think he cares about what you want? No one is above sensei, and don't you forget it, or you can join the other rats in the lab!' Kabuto shut his mouth tight, turned back towards his various liquids and continued where he left off, giving the apparent impression that the conversation was now over._

 _Sai snarled before pushing himself away from the table, turning on his heel towards the door of the room. He fumed under his breath and ignored the snort from Kabuto behind him. He would find Sasuke himself, sensei be damned!_

Sasuke blinked slowly as his mind began to rise from the safety of the darkness and quiet to the reality of the now that he was unfortunately in. His mind still hazy, he blinked a few more times, as his eyes were trying to focus on the room. His eyes wouldn't focus, his eyelids were still heavy so he gave up trying to see and promptly let his eyes close. He hoped he would succumb to the nothingness of sleep, so he wouldn't have to be aware of his reality. His mind though, was apparently not allowing sleep to come, but kept him in a hazy reality where he could not see clear and the sounds were muffled like he was under water. Sasuke cringed internally as he realized that he would not sleep and was left to suffer wherever he may be. He mentally reached and called for his wolf, and the sounds bounced around in the empty areas of his mind like he was in a sealed room.

Inner Sasuke let out a sob as he felt around in the darkness of his mind for anything, anyone that may be there. Depression began to heighten at the thought of being alone and scenarios were developing and coming to life within his mind.

His mind began to envision that his wolf had finally left him, realizing how weak and pathetic Sasuke really was and left him to fend for himself. Sasuke felt himself reach for the blurry vision wolf that turned its back and began to walk away. Sasuke felt pain hit his chest as he watched the wolf move further away. Next vision was his brother, looking down at him with disgust and disappointment in his eyes. Itachi scoffed at him for being weak and an omega. Sasuke felt himself curl into the pain within his heart as he watched his wolf and Itachi shun and abandon him.

"Now now Sasuke-kun, I can't finish if you keep curling up like that."

Sasuke let out a whimper as he heard the muffled voice in the distance. He felt his head turn away from the discomfort.

"Tsk Sasuke-kun, I'm doing this for your own good."

Sasuke heard the muffled voice again before he felt his arms forcefully moved into a position that wasn't comfortable at all. Sasuke felt his lips open slightly and let out a small cry of pain. The area was still dark, the noises were muffled and far.

"Much better, now I can finish with this simple little task Sasuke-kun."

The voice sounded pleased, almost soothing, Sasuke felt himself drifting back into the abyss of darkness. A piercing pain sliced through his darkness and he felt himself arch and cry out in agony.

"Hmm, that was unexpected, how interesting." The voice uttered out quietly.

Sasuke gasped over and over, the pain rippled through his body, his eyes remained closed as the world felt clouded and uneven. Only the pain was clear and piercing. He felt tears leave from behind his eyelids.

Stars and bright lights erupted through the darkness. Dull pain came directly after the light show. Sasuke felt his head roughly pushed to the side and pain throbbing throughout the side of his head. He heard that voice demanding he be quiet. Sasuke looked at the bright lights that fluttered about behind his eyelids and he suddenly wondered where they came from. His lips released a raspy breathy whine as the pain continued to throb behind his eyes.

"I don't know what he see's in your pathetic body Sasuke-kun…" A deep harsh whisper broke through the darkness and flittered between the bright lights, mixing with the pain. Another piercing pain broke through the barrier of darkness and Sasuke felt his body wail out and struggle to move away from it.

"Let's see if he finds you irresistible now…." A deep bitter voice whispered again when the pain ripped through. Sasuke felt his eyes squint and his cries bounce off the empty walls of his mind. He gasped for air repeatedly as the pain ripped through various areas of his body. His chest constricted as he began to panic and couldn't breathe. He begged for air, he begged for death, anything, as the black walls descended upon him and he succumbed to it willingly.

"Interesting…interesting," Kabuto hovered over the now unconscious body of Sasuke on the table. Kabuto placed an instrument down on a tray near the table, next to various others, some tainted in blood, others waiting to be used. Kabuto pulled out a watch and watched as the various wounds that littered Sasuke's body began to heal. His other hand poised with a pen over a note book, scribbling down notes periodically.

His eyes scanned Sasuke's body that was devoid of clothes and he smirked loudly. "I don't know what sensei sees in you omega trash," he spat out with venom, "but I'll be damned if you take him away from me you filth!" Kabuto spit out the words between clenched teeth while leaning in close to Sasuke's face. He struck his fist into Sasuke's face again, feeling satisfied as Sasuke's head thumped hard to the side and stayed. He then continued to watch the open wounds as they began to stitch together and wrote in his book. When the wounds had completed healing, he grabbed a syringe and plunged it into one of Sasuke's thighs. Kabuto snarled as he watched the liquid empty into the leg, slapping the area directly after the syringe was removed. He grabbed a sheet, covered Sasuke's body and slapped one of Sasuke's cheeks repeatedly. "Sleep sweet little filthy omega," he spat out and then snorted loudly as he watched Sasuke's unconscious form. He then double checked the bindings that were attached to Sasuke's arms, ensuring they were secure before turning around and leaving the room. He had a report to do and needed to ensure it met sensei's particulars.

============XOXOXO==========

Kakashi made his way through the hospital corridor, reading over the various information he had gathered from Naruto and Sasuke's packs. He frowned as he continued to review it over and over. Something was missing and he couldn't put his finger on it. He texted Tsunade earlier stating he would be coming in to share what information he gathered. She stated she was still at the hospital and that he could come there at any time. He folded up his notebook as he stopped at an instant coffee vending machine.

"That stuff can lead to lead poisoning you know," a low voice broke through the silence and startled Kakashi.

Kakashi placed his hand on his chest as he turned around to face the voice. "Shit, you almost caused me a heart attack!" Kakashi breathed out as he feigned discomfort. "Good thing we already in a hospital ne?" Kakashi gave a light chuckle to lighten the mood.

Gaara snorted slightly before holding his hand out inviting a hand shake towards Kakashi. Kakashi grasped Gaara's hand firmly. "I came as soon as I heard," Gaara noted as he shook Kakashi's hand. "Is there any breakthrough on who may have done this?"

Kakashi released Gaara's hand, dropping his arm down to his side and letting out a sigh. "Nothing yet, we are just gathering what information we can at the moment. There is now more to the story that what we knew. Sasuke is now missing and so far we can't tell if the two situations are related or not."

Gaara's eyes widened at this information, then frowned with frustration just as quickly. "Share with me what information that has been gathered so far, maybe I know of something that can help," Gaara firmly spoke.

Kakashi stepped back, bringing his hand up to the back of his head and scratching at it. "Well, I came to discuss with Tsunade-sama, being Naruto is her grandson and all, and I'm not sure how open she is to…" his sentence drifted off as his eyes wandered around the room. _'Awkward…'_ Kakashi thought to himself.

Gaara narrowed his eyes towards Kakashi and irritation began to arise within. "Listen here Kakashi…" Gaara started.

"Enough," a firm voice echoed from down the hallway and the familiar sound of clacking heels on the linoleum floor was coming closer to Gaara and Kakashi.

Kakashi breathed in a sigh of relief as he saw Tsunade coming towards them. She could deal with the fiery Gaara. He bowed towards her, "Tsunade-sama." Tsunade said nothing but stopped before the two men.

Tsunade eyed Gaara briefly before holding her hand out towards him. "Gaara-kun, I'm honored u could make it," she shook his hand as he offered it. "Come with me, we have much to discuss." She turned on her heel and walked back down the hallway without looking back. The two men eyed each other briefly before following behind her.

==============intermission============

The hospital room drapes were drawn to limit the amount of light entering the area. Noises of the various machines around the bed were the only noises to be heard. Pale skin glistened slightly in the light, dull blond hair no longer vibrant rested upon the forehead of the sleeping alpha. A breathing apparatus covered half of the face that assisted the blond alpha in breathing. Eyelids remained closed as the covered chest rose and fell indicating life saving breaths were being pumped into the body. No other movement was seen as Tsunade stood at the foot of the bed and watched the machines do their job. She grabbed the clipboard hanging from the bed and moved to the single chair situated in the room. Dropping into it, she signed heavily as she reviewed the notes in front of her.

An off tempo beep caught her attention suddenly as she looked up from the clipboard to one of the machines. She tilted her head slightly, watching, waiting, wondering if she was imagining things. She held her breath. The off tempo beep sounded again and she stood up quickly. She hurriedly took the two steps towards the bed, quickly but softly, as if any sound she made was going to change the situation for worse. She again held her breath as she watched the various machines surrounding the bed. The off tempo beep sounded again and she released her breath. Her eyes scanned the still alpha on the bed, watching, waiting for anything that might be… there! Her hand came to her mouth when she saw it, afraid she was going to cry out, and her eyes quickly flicked to the machine that monitored the electrical pulses and…there it was! The off tempo beep, indicating the change in pulse. She lowered her hand and leaned over Naruto's form slowly. "I'm here, don't be afraid omagosan," she whispered softly. Her eyes skimmed over the form again, waiting and she worried on her bottom lip. Her eyes again caught the movement in his hand, his fingers flexing briefly, then the off tempo beep indicating a change. She smiled and felt a tear escape down her cheek. She placed her one hand over Naruto's and stroked his hand softly with her own. "That's right omagosan, don't be afraid and come back to me. I'm here," she hiccupped out the words softly as a few more tears began to fall.


	13. Movement

Big virtual hugs for my fabulous authors whom i beta for who give me the inspiration to keep trucking! You guys are all just soooo special! I wanna wrap you all up and keep you tucked away forever! :D

Thanks for the reviews, for those who dropped a line! In answer to some questions, the superior alpha is like the inner essence of the wolf. The superior alpha is only born to a select few and yes, those persons are the ones that turn out to be pack leaders. Thank you myPixel for certainly coming up with exciting questions! Packs can have more than one alpha, but only one can be superior. Is Naruto one? I dunno, really, hadn't thought about it... hehe

Wanna be an author too? I'm totally a fan of being a beta for sns stuff the most-test! Drop me a line if interested!

On with the show eh? This story has TOTALLY demanded all my attention! *shakes fist at it* I feel REALLY bad that my other story has been lagging. I am working on it, honestly! But this one.. certainly is a spoiled story! lol

Keep smiling readers!

 **=====XOXOXO====**

Darkness and pain, that was all he felt. Sasuke floated within the recesses of his empty dark mind, waiting, no wishing, for death to release him. He had no knowledge of how long he had been in the vast ocean of darkness and pain, time wasn't being kept here. He felt that it had been to long and he was being punished by a higher being, forced to remain where he could not see, barely breath and feel consistent pain. He whimpered, unknowingly to him, it escaped his lips.

"What the fuck have you done you bitch!" Sai screamed out as he hovered over the bed, where Sai heard a whimper from where Sasuke's form lay. Sai grabbed one of Sasuke's hands, the skin gray in colour, cold and Sai could swear he feel all the hand bones. "What the hell, the fuck…you…god—fuckin' damn…" Sai continued to spit out over words through his fury at Kabuto. His eyes flashed amber towards Kabuto, his canines extending as he snarled towards him.

"Fear not Sai, sensei has requested some samples for extended research you see. Uchiha's are rare and have unique abilities about them that needs to be researched for educational purposes," Kabuto replieddryly as he continued to label various vials and bottles, scribbling notes in various books.

Sai ran his hands over Sasuke's cheeks and neck, feeling the bones that were beginning to show through the gray skin. "Sas, sas… can you hear me baby?" Sai whispered over Sasuke's face, as his eyes flickered around the area, noticing the bruising around his cheek and jaw lines. Sai flinched and ground his teeth in disgust, noting how cold Sasuke's skin was. "Put a fucking blanket on him for fucks sake you sadistic fuckup!" Sai screamed at Kabuto again who only continued to ignore him. Sai ran his hands over Sasuke's chest and arms, growling lightly seeing the various lacerations, gashes and bruises and noticing how slow the healing process was. Sai held one of Sasuke's palm to his cheek, "hold on baby, we'll be together real soon," he whispered as he rubbed his cheek into Sasuke's palm. Sasuke's eyes flittered slightly under his eyelids, his forehead crinkled up slightly as another whimper escaped Sasuke. Sai ground his teeth together hard, anger spiking up in his wolf. He was going to rip Kabuto apart after this, he swore that it would be done. "I'll be back for you after I talk to sensei," Sai threatened with venom on his voice, before storming out of the room.

Kabuto watched from his peripheral vision as Sai stormed out of the room. When he was through the door, Kabuto grabbed a cell phone from his pocket. Pushing up hisglasses higher on his nose, he glanced down and swiped open the phone, entering in his passcode. He opened up his message contacts and typed out a message to a recipient. He waited several seconds before the vibration indicated an incoming glanced his eyes over the message and smirked. He quickly typed out a response then put the phone away. He hummed slightly as he went back to marking vials and bottles. He turned his attention towards Sasuke, who let out a small breathy whine from his nose. Kabuto smirked, putting down his bottle and grabbing a syringe. He moved over to where Sasuke lay on the examining table, naked and littered with lacerations all in various stages of healing. Kabuto's eyes roved over the various body areas of Sasuke, noting how the skin was a pasty gray colour. He smiled slightly.

"Your body is beginning to slow down Sasuke-kun, a sign I'm all to familiar with," he whispered out as he dragged his finger tips down one of Sasuke's arms. "Can't have you slip off from me can we? Sensei wouldn't be happy with me if that were to happen now would he?" he sneered through clenched teeth. "Of course sensei wants all these recordings and samples about you, but we can't let him have you later now can we? Shame, you probably won't survive till he comes back now hmm?" Kabuto then grabbed his notebook and ran his fingers around the various lacerations that were strewed in areas on Sasuke's body. He made notes on the time frame, size and location of the wounds. He pinched areas of Sasuke's skin on his body, noting the time it took for the skin to return to colour and size. He put his book down after a few more minutes of making notes and gave a long sigh. "Well, I guess its dinner time eh Sasuke-kun? Troublesome to have to continue to do this, but the things I do for sensei," he breathed out, sounding exhausted before reaching for an IV made work of putting together the IV needle and administering it into Sasuke's arm. He then reached for an IV bag tucked away in a drawer and held it up into the light. "Well Sasuke, looks like roast beef and potatoes on the menu tonight!" He released a maniacal laugh as he hooked up the bag to the IV pole and started the drip. He then took the syringe and inserted it nonchalantly into Sasuke's upper thigh. He gave Sasuke's thigh a few hard slaps before grabbing a sheet. "Well buddy, enjoy your dinner, maybe if you're a good boy I'll bring you some dessert!" Kabuto laughed loud at his joke and made his way out of the room.

Sai stormed down various corridors until he reached his destination. He slammed open the large door, coming into a large open sitting room, complete with various couches, arm chairs, tables and a minibar. Small chandeliers hung from the ceiling, giving soft light into the room. Sai glanced around the room, noting no one was in the room. He strode to the minibar and pressed a small button, tucked away beneath the top shelf. He leaned into the minibar waiting, crossing his arms over his chest, his lips heavily frowned. The door opened and entered in a man, who was medium built and dressed in dress pants and button up shirt.

"Something you need Sai-kun?" the burly man spoke with an irritated tone to his voice.

"Where is sensei? I need to speak with him immediately," Sai snarled out in annoyance.

"The master is away for a few days on business. I trust you understand that he cannot be disturbed," the thug answered smartly back. His eyes showed that he was annoyed by Sai and obviously didn't want to deal with him.

Sai ground his teeth and tsked in annoyance. The thug left the room immediately and Sai slammed his fist into the minibar. "Fuck!" he cried out, anger and irritation laced his voice. He knew that Orochimaru would not be forgivable towards him should he try and connect with him while he was couldn't let Kabuto have Sasuke to be his little cut up toy, as Kabuto had a sadistic streak for impaling pain on other beings for pleasure. But Kabuto was Orochimaru's favorite and under his protection always. If Sai interfered with Kabuto by beating him to a pulp, he would be at the mercy of Orochimaru. Sai would be severely punished, if not maimed or killed. He couldn't run off with Sasuke, as it had been proven in the past that Orochimaru could find you anywhere and had lackeys in every shadow and corner around the globe. Sai threw a glass towards the opposite wall, screamed out in fury as the glass smashed in an explosion of shards. He punched at the wall with vengeance with his cries until his knuckles began to bleed. He stopped, panting hard, leaning his forehead against the now damaged wall and lightly fisting the wall leaving small blood patterns from his palm. He struggled with the options trying to determine his next move if he didn't want Sasuke to be permanently damaged or dead.

=======xoxoxo======

Itachi sat his desk, several papers spread out, various notes, reports and updates written upon them. Itachi studied them all, his lips pinched tight together in a frown, as he flipped through note after note. He inhaled deeply, breathed out a frustrated huff, as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. It had been at least three days and no new leads had been found on Sasuke's whereabouts. Itachi struggled with his wolf, who constantly pawed relentlessly at his mental stability, demanding release as its frustration grew. The alpha knew that Sasuke did not leave on his own this time, a situation that was leading to a growing fire of fury deep within. The alpha was thriving on the fury and wanted blood.

He received a message from Kakashi. He and Gaara had met with Tsunade-sama and would like to meet with Itachi regarding the information they have gathered. Itachi agreed and was gathering up what information his pack had gathered in the past three days. He granted access when he heard the knock on his office door, knowing that Gaara and Kakashi had arrived. Deidara came through the door leading the two men in.

"Gentleman," Itachi moved forward to the two, his hand extended for a handshake. He grabbed Gaara's hand giving a firm shake, "thanks for coming." He nodded at Gaara before moving over to Kakashi, grabbing his hand and giving another firm shake. Kakashi placed his other hand on Itachi's shoulder and gave him a somber look. Itachi forced a half smile at Kakashi, "thank you too, Kakashi." Itachi stepped back and extended his arm to the small table surrounded by high back arm chairs. "Please, have a seat, we have much to discuss."

The three men brought out their information on the table, Itachi began by explaining that his pack had picked up on the scent of Sai with Sasuke's scent and the drug in the cup. His pack was unable to determine if Naruto was at the scene before, after or during the altercation with Sai and Sasuke.

"Kakashi is aware of the history between Sasuke and Orochimaru Gaara, you, on the other hand may not," he nodded at Gaara. Gaara's eyes widened briefly at the news. "The pack had rescued Sasuke from an unregistered lab that we suspect was run by Orochimaru. Unfortunately, there was no evidence to prove this. Only random humans and werewolves were in the area to guard the lab that was hidden deep in the forest during that time. When we infiltrated the lab, our priority was getting Sasuke, not to capture and interrogate others. Thus, we only have Sasuke's memories of going to Orochimaru as the only suspected evidence of Orochimaru running the unregistered lab. Sasuke's memories blank out shortly afterward meeting up with Orochimaru and only regains memories of when we rescued him years later." Itachi glanced down briefly, a flash of sorrow and pain crossed his face quickly before disappearing again before Itachi continued.

"We are aware that Sai is affiliated with Orochimaru, but again, we are unable to prove this. The information we had regarding this only came verbally from Sasuke," Itachi continued to explain. "Orochimaru is affiliated with Sai, I don't doubt Sasuke, but he does a good job of hiding the fact from the public. The only person that is known to be with Orochimaru, is his assistant Kabuto Yakushi, who has a medical degree in organic chemistry research. Quite coincidental considering what we found in a cup that was in Sasuke's possession, found at the site where he went missing from. Information made public lists that Kabuto is head of a few of Orochimaru's labs in three major cities across the country. This isn't suspicious at all of course, since Orochimaru is a renowned research scientist himself." Itachi sighed slightly as he placed his papers down on the table. "The only other information that we have is that Sai had been in the area, as Sasuke had finally informed me just recently, because Sai had approached Sasuke on a couple of occasions. I am aware that Sasuke and Sai had some sort of intimate relationship during Sasuke's time with Orochimaru," Itachi shuddered slightly. "To what extent, I'm not aware..." He trailed off quietly and then brought his fingers together to bring his chin down to rest upon his clasped hands.

"Hmm, Sai may be the 'other alpha' Naruto saw Sasuke with at the café awhile back. His pack had mentioned that Naruto had seen Sasuke with another alpha and found the other alpha giving forceful advances. His pack couldn't recall if Naruto mentioned this other alpha's name, but the interaction did not appear to have any ill will towards Naruto himself." Kakashi tapped a finger on his chin, appearing to be thinking about the situation.

"There is no way to know if Sai was aware of Naruto in Sasuke's life, unless there are other interactions that we aren't aware of," Itachi added. "Which reminds me, are you aware Kakashi, that Naruto may be courting Sasuke?" Itachi raised his one brow as he looked at Kakashi. Kakashi stopped tapping his chin suddenly and tilted his eyes towards Itachi. "Apparently Sasuke has received two gifts already from Naruto. My otouto appeared quite enamored on occasion." Itachi leaned forward slightly, frowning slightly and his gaze not leaving Kakashi.

Kakashi grinned behind his mask, his eyes squinted close in mirth as he held up both palms in surrender towards Itachi. "Mah mah Itachi! I have no idea what's going on with them! I only suggested Naruto get to know Sasuke, as a way to show Sasuke there are other good people out there!" Kakashi waved his hands back and forth towards Itachi as he chuckled nervously.

Itachi leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing warily towards Kakashi. "Hn," he breathed out as he pointed his two fingers at his own eyes then turned his hand to point them at Kakashi. The universal sign that Itachi was keeping his eyes on Kakashi. Itachi raised his one brow at him and Kakashi nodded quickly.

Gaara smirked at the exchange between the two men. He knew it was all in good fun, as Kakashi was an old family friend of the Uchiha's. Gaara had gotten to know Kakashi through Tsunade and Naruto over the past few years. He had seen the trust that the Uzumaki pack had entrusted in Kakashi, therefore Gaara was comfortable trusting him as well.

Gaara cleared his throat. "The information I have is only what Naruto has shared with me and of course my observations during our visits. I could see that Naruto had a strong interest in Sasuke when they first started communicating," Gaara smiled slightly, recalling how Naruto was striking out with Sasuke at the bar. "At the gala, Naruto had a not so positive altercation with elder Danzo regarding Danzo's behavior towards a serving omega. That outburst certainly turned many heads," Gaara hummed out, recalling Naruto's loud outburst in the room full of diplomats, elders and council members, to name a few. "Luckily Tsunade was there to assist in calming the room. Would Danzo be spiteful enough to make a bold move such as having Naruto shot?" Gaara looked from Itachi to Kakashi.

Kakashi brought his hands together, "it's unlikely, but he could be a possible suspect to the shooting. Would Danzo have anything to do with Sasuke's disappearance though?"

Itachi shook his head. "I don't believe Danzo has an interest in the Uchiha. Danzo has his own reign and has never spoken a word of interest regarding Uchiha clan or history."

"But don't Uchiha's have a rare chemical balance in their blood lines that has expressed interest in many parties in the past? Are you sure Danzo isn't curious about the secrets in the ancestry of the Uchiha's? It is no secret that Danzo has always desired more power," Gaara pointed out to Itachi.

Itachi crossed his arms again, "but my father has always had strong political standing with Danzo. My father has always said to keep your enemies close therefore I'm sure he has Danzo under close surveillance to ensure there are no surprises. Danzo is definitely a proud elder alpha and certainly doesn't want to be shown up by a young alpha in public no less but, we will keep our ears open to the possibility of the matter."

"What about Danzo and Orochimaru's relationship? With Danzo's continuous desire for power and Orochimaru being a scientist, with a strong interest in researching exotic, what are the possibilities they work to collect specimens together?" Gaara brought forward. "It would make sense for those two to express their interests together therefore develop a working relationship." Gaara glanced from Kakashi and Itachi.

Itachi nodded slightly, pinching his lips together in thought. Kakashi tapped his chin again, appearing to consider the idea.

"It would certainly make sense, both would benefit, one from getting vengeance for an embarrassing outburst and possibly removing an heir, while the other got valuable research, while both reap in the benefits…" Kakashi trailed off as he grabbed his notebook from his inside pocket. "Alight, it's a possibility, that they could both be suspects, but proving it if it to be true, is an entirely difficult challenge." Kakashi began scribbling in his notebook.

"Tsunade knows Orochimaru more than anyone else we know," Itachi spoke up as he brought his arms down on the table. "She has worked with him in the past. She may know some history on Danzo as well," Itachi nodded towards the door as Deidara brought in a tray of mugs and a tea pot. "What is the update on Naruto by the way?" Itachi asked, concern in his voice.

Kakashi sighed deeply while settling back in his chair. "Tsunade mentioned he is stable but still in a coma. She had mentioned that there can be no determination on any possible mental or physical trauma until he wakes. When that is, no one knows. He is still under 24 hour surveillance due to the poisoning. At this time no one can visit with him until Tsunade is one hundred percent certain there is no more poison in his system." Kakashi ran a hand through his gray locks of hair.

Deidara gasped slightly behind Itachi, bringing his hand up to his lips. "The blood, where Sasuke's scent was found, that was Naruto's blood wasn't it? Well of course it was! Oh I'm such an idiot!" Deidara's voice quivered as he blubbered out in agony, realizing how Sasuke was in the same location as Naruto was shot. Itachi reached over and grabbed Deidara's hand, pulling him onto his lap. A few tears escaped Deidara's eyes as he looked at Itachi, his bottom lip quivering slightly. "Oh my god, if Naruto and Sasuke were together 'un, then what…what…"

Itachi moved his fingers over Deidara's lips, silencing him instantly. "Shh, we don't know yet if they were together. We are working on it, not only for Sasuke but for Naruto as well." Deidara continued to sniffle slightly. "Go make a care package for Naruto's pack love, I'll make sure it gets to them," Itachi patted Deidara's leg before lifting him off his lap. Deidara hummed in response and left the room, sniffling along the way. Itachi nodded at Kakashi, who got the hint that he was to take the care package to Naruto's pack.

"Has your pack had any concerns with vampires Itachi?" Kakashi brought up suddenly as Itachi looked to him with surprise. "Apparently Naruto's pack came across vampire scents near their borders recently. This hasn't happened for several decades and the pack was keeping tabs on the borders and vampire colonies. It had not been determined yet if the scent was a vampire passing by or something else."

Itachi shook his head. "No, we have not had any concerns with vampires since the wars a few century's ago. If I recall correctly, the nearest colony is in another country," Itachi responded, his hand waved out for emphasis. "With that being said, that is curious as to why a vampire scent would suddenly show up now," Itachi started rubbing at his chin, his eyes downcast in thought.

"I will have to talk to Tsunade about it. Naruto's pack informed that Naruto was going to discuss this with her awhile back. I'll keep you updated." Kakashi wrote in his book.

"I will look into any vampire issues back home in my area as well. I believe we need to investigate all possibilities no matter how inconsequential they may appear," Gaara added in.

"I'll check with the other clans to see if I can get information on possible whereabouts of Orochimaru's unregistered labs may be located," Itachi stated. "The one we raided years ago is no longer there. A mysterious fire burned it to the ground," Itachi tsked, "how convenient that was."

"I'll see what Danzo's tour is like, where he visits and if he has any extra homes he stays at and who he may visit with." Kakashi spoke while writing in his book.

"Danzo is attracted to power," Gaara spoke up, "I'm certain there are a few persons in my area that he consults with often. I will investigate any suspicions at my end."

"Our pack will continue to scout the greater area, as we continue to try and locate Sasuke. Whoever I find responsible that has him Kakashi, I cannot guarantee that I will not kill them," Itachi slapped a fist into his hand, his voice laced with venom. "I can't lose him again, the fuckers who have him will pay, I promise it," he growled out.

Kakashi glanced at Gaara, who appeared to be in agreement with Itachi if his feral grin meant anything. Kakashi glanced back at Itachi, who's eyes blazed yellow and a low growl was released. Kakashi sat back and rubbed at his cheek, _'We'll find them, I'll make sure of it'_ he thought to himself, _'hang in their Naruto…Sasuke…we're coming.'_

======intermission======

Kakashi went to the cottage of Naruto's pack after leaving the Uchiha's residence. Balancing a large box on his hip and in one arm, he moved up to the door and gave a firm knock. Hinata came to the door, a small smile on her face as she stepped to the side, inviting Kakashi inside.

"Thanks Hinata," Kakashi winked, "from the Uchiha clan." He held the box out to her, she hesitated and gave Kakashi a questioning look.

"Oh, umm…thank you, but Kakashi-san, why?" Hinata then grabbed the box and turned to take it to the kitchen, Kakashi following behind her.

"I need to talk to the pack and I'll let you know, is everyone home?" Kakashi made his way to the kitchen table to have a seat as Hinata placed the box on the table.

"Currently yes," Hinata responded and moved to a copper coloured bell hanging in the corner of the kitchen. Hinata grabbed the short rope hanging from it and gave it two loud bangs. The sound of the bell echoed throughout the looked on with some surprised He had not noticed the bell before and he went to open his mouth to ask Hinata but she beat him to it. "We had it installed when the boys were complaining that they miss out on the good stuff at dinner because they don't hear when we call," she giggled lightly before moving to the stove and turning on the heat to warm a kettle. "They all should arrive shortly." She smiled again at Kakashi before moving to the cupboards to start gathering mugs for tea.

Sure enough, Kiba and Kyuubi came through the door and Sakura came down the stairs. All three came into the room, looking about somewhat surprised until they noticed the large box on the table and Kakashi sitting near it.

"Kakashi my man, what brings you by? Any news on Naruto?" Kyuubi slid a chair out and sat beside him at the table. He eyed the box briefly before looking back at Kakashi. "And what's with the box?" Kiba and Sakura moved to sit at the table as well while Hinata placed all the articles for tea on the table before taking her own seat.

"I come to update the pack on the Uchiha's situation," Kakashi started off. "As you know, Naruto was most likely courting Sasuke and Sasuke has now gone missing…at around the same time that Naruto was shot." He noticed the packs shocked expressions and gave them a moment to take the new information in before continuing. "Sasuke's scent was found near where Naruto was shot, but unfortunately, it is unknown if Sasuke and Naruto were together during the incident. We only know that no one was around when Naruto was found. The Uchiha clan and I are working together to find clues. We have a couple theories but no hard evidence to support them, yet. The Uchiha clan also wished to express their empathy regarding the current situation with Naruto and sent this care package with me for the pack. The Uchiha clan will be assisting me as much as possible, but remember that with Sasuke missing, that currently is their top priority right now. Unless we can prove that the two incidents are related, the Uchiha pack will continue their search to find Sasuke and provide us with any leads they may come across regarding Naruto. Does everyone understand?" Kakashi poured himself a tea as the pack members looked at each other, their eyes wide with concern and understanding. He sipped at his tea, waiting to see if any of the pack members had questions.

"Also, in regard to Naruto, there is no change. He is still considered high risk as he is continually monitored 24 hours a day to ensure that the poison is out of his system one hundred percent. Still no visitors until Tsunade informs us different." Taking another sip of tea, he watched the weary eyes of Naruto's pack. They looked mentally and physically spent; with puffy eyes from crying, or dark circles from lack of sleep or walking zombies. Kakashi felt for the pack. This was the first time something so tragic had befallen them as a pack and they appeared to be barely hanging on. "Well," Kakashi quickly spoke as he put down his empty cup, "I'll leave this package with you and be on my way. Text , call, whatever if anyone has anymore news to share." He nodded to them all and seen his way out the door.

Kyuubi looked over at his pack mates. "Shit, well at least he's not worse," he spoke up with a half smile. The others just nodded their heads in response. "I can't believe Sasuke is missing though, fuck what next!" Kyuubi slammed his fist down. "I swear when I find the fucks responsible for all this," he trailed off as he cracked his knuckles.

Hinata stood and opened the box. She gasped in surprise and then a smile graced her lips. "Well, the Uchiha clan certainly has good tastes and we will be certain to send a thank you note," she mentioned as she slid the box towards Kyuubi. Kyuubi looked into the box and smiled. Kiba jumped up, looking into the box and gave a small chuckle. The pack all smiled at each other and began digging into the box of treats.

=========xoxoxo========

Tsunade focused on the documents located in front of her laying on her desk. She sighed loudly as she rubbed her temples, her elbows resting on the desk. The results were still coming out the same for the past three days, meaning nothing worse, nothing better. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against her palm taking deep breaths.

A soft buzzing alerted her that someone was on the other end of the hospital intercom. She clicked the answer button. "What is it," she answered in a clipped tone. She found herself craving a cigarette and a few shots of sake, but sadly, didn't have access to any of those stimulants at this time.

 _"Excuse me Tsunade-sama, you requested to be contacted should there be any development with Uzumaki."_

"I'm on my way," she answered as she cut the call grabbing her clip board and notes. She made her way down the hall to the ICU area, where Naruto was still situated due to his condition. She slipped into the sterile scrubs, washed her hands and slipped into the sterile room. She nodded at the one personal medical professional that Tsunade specifically trusted to this case, Shizune, who currently was recording the stats and progress on the charts. "Report," she snapped out as she stepped up to the bed.

Shizune bowed briefly. "Tsunade-same, there has been more development." She held out a chart to Tsunade. "As you can see here, more electrical pulse movements here and now here," she pointed, "there appears to be more activity in the electrical pulses from the brain."

Tsunade studied the charts closely and then flickered her eyes up to the unmoving blond alpha on the bed. His skin still appeared dull in colour, his hair lacking the glorious luster of the sun, but she smiled as his breathing appeared strong and stable. Though half his face was still hidden behind an oxygen masks to assist his breathing, she had a glimmer of hope sparking within her chest.

"Any signs of further contamination from the poison?" she asked Shizune, her eyes not leaving the quiet alpha on the bed.

"No signs of contamination Tsunade-sama. I am hoping that we should be able to give the all clear in another day or so. I'll need to run a couple more tests to confirm this, but with how he is responding more positively every day, I really cannot foresee any concerns that may arise."

Tsunade handed back the charts to Shizune and moved towards the bed. She trailed her fingers along the blanket as she moved to stand at the head of bed, her facial features softening as she moved her fingers to run gently through Naruto's hair. She leaned over closer to his face and whispered, "keep fighting omagosan, you're doing good." She kissed his forehead before standing and moved towards the door. She stopped at the door, her hand hesitating on the door handle. "Shizune," she snapped out. Shizune gasped and turned towards her. "Good job," Tsunade whispered out before she turned the door handle and slipped out. Shizune smiled to herself before turning back to the sleeping alpha.

=========xoxoxo========

Kabuto kept his head bowed as Orochimaru walked around the lab room, his yellow eyes piercing through the room, his lips in a frown and his fingers clasped together behind him. He stopped beside the examining table, his eyes trailing the still omega body from bottom to top before snapping his eyes at Kabuto.

"Were you able to retrieve the data needed?" Orochimaru hissed out in question as he held his gaze on Kabuto's bowed form.

"Yes my lord," Kabuto answered. "All the records are located in the cabinet and labeled appropriately." He stood up and pointed towards the cabinets located at the other side of the room.

Orochimaru frowned as he eyed the omega's form again, laying lifeless on the examining table. "Harvest the usable organs for the market. And Kabuto," Orochimaru hesitated as he lifted the sheet covering the omega and quickly glanced at the still form beneath it.

Kabuto bowed slightly, holding his head down, "my lord?"

"I'm disappointed that this specimen expired so quickly. I would hate to think that you are _slipping_ in your ability to ensure that our product lasts to its full life term?" Orochimaru's voice was laced with ice. He was clearly making it known that he was not impressed with the situation.

"My apologies my lord," Kabuto spoke while still in a bow, "I may have miscalculated. It will not happen again."

Orochimaru flicked the sheet back down over the still omega form. "Ensure it doesn't, or I will be finding a way to collect my losses from you," he spit out before turning to leave the room.

"Thank you my lord," Kabuto whispered out as he listened for Orochimaru to leave. When he was alone, he stood up and kicked the table. "Fucking shit!" he snarled out. He hadn't expected sensei to return early and certainly didn't expect the omega to _expire._ He sat hard at his desk chair and considered his next move. His sensei was pissed, therefore he wouldn't be in his good graces anytime soon. And sensei had not even asked about Sasuke yet. Kabuto knew that sensei wanted Sasuke fully researched before—before… Kabuto growled slightly thinking about it, but sensei also wanted Sasuke to be healthy afterwards, meaning Sasuke was to be sensei's... the thought trailed off as Kabuto ground is teeth together as his anger began to increase. He felt bile rise in his throat thinking about his sensei and Sasuke.

He stopped suddenly, _'but then there is Sai…_ ' Kabuto suddenly released a feral grin. _'Yes, Sai…that could work to his advantage. And if that works, then he and sensei…'_ Kabuto chuckled deeply as a plan began to form in his mind. He jumped up with a whistle, grabbed various instruments and containers as he went to work on the specimen while still smiling wide.

=======intermission======

Sai stood waiting in a regular sitting room as soon as he learned Orochimaru had returned. Turned out that Orochimaru returned a day early, therefore Sai hoped to discuss the situation regarding Sasuke before Kabuto got to him first. Sai sent out his request to meet with Orochimaru and knew that he would have to wait for as long as it took, since the nameless thug stated that his request was heard but no time frame was given when he would be seen. He was only informed to wait. And wait he would, nobody would dare defy or challenge Orochimaru.

When Orochimaru attend the room, Sai immediately bowed deep showing his respect and waited until he was told he could rise. He heard Orochimaru make his way to an arm chair and whisper his request to one of the many thugs for a drink. When the tinkle of ice was heard in a glass with liquid sloshing about, it was then Sai was released to stand.

"What is it that you need to discuss Sai-kun?" Orochimaru let out in a hiss of indifference. He had his glass held at eye level and gave it a bored look. "I'm tight for time, this better be important," he added.

"My lord, Kabuto's abilities in gathering research…"

"Is one that I trust completely." Orochimaru cut off Sai immediately, sounding irritated. "You challenge my decision?" Yellow eyes flickered to Sai with a challenge.

"N-no my lord, but at this…"

"Have you medical experience Sai-kun?" Orochimaru sneered out in question as his eyes bore into Sai.

"Well, n-no my lord, I wanted…"

"Then I strongly suggest you think about what you are wanting to discuss Sai-kun. For what I am hearing so far is that you are questioning my decisions and abilities to run my business." Orochimaru now stood up, his eyes flaring up as he stepped closer to Sai. "Also it appears you are threatening my most trusted employee and pack member's abilities, are you thinking that you could do better?" he hissed out the question while taking another step closer.

Sai gasped slightly and took a small step back. He had not seen sensei angry before and the powerful aura that arose off of him made the alpha shudder within him. "M-my lord, p-please I mean you no disrespect…" Sai managed to stutter out, "I just have…"

"ENOUGH!" Orochimaru slammed his glass to the floor, the liquid and shards exploding into a circle and Sai released a gasp. Orochimaru's body shuddered as he stood by the shards of glass and now discolored carpet where the liquid had seeped in. His eyes were downcast as he took deep breaths before lifting his eyes in a glare towards Sai. "I know what it is you desire Sai-kun," he harshly whispered out and gave a feral grin. His eyes flashed bright as Sai's eyes widened at the confession. "I recommend you put that desire behind you, as he belongs to me!" He took a step towards Sai, "and do not consider double crossing me Sai-kun," he spat out venomously as he continued to take steps towards Sai, "for if you do, an alpha like yourself will bring a nice price at the market and nobody will think twice about where you are," Orochimaru finished growling out the threat while towering over Sai's body, his yellow eyes flaring threateningly.

Sai's eyes remained wide as he felt his alpha buckle his knees to submit to the powerful aura emanating from the superior alpha towering over him demanding submission. He slowly lowered himself to his knees, his body trembling slightly as he lowered his head. "Y-yes my lord," he whispered out. He clenched his eyes shut, waiting to be released. He had never witnessed Orochimaru become agitated to a point where the aura raged and there were outbursts.

Orochimaru lips formed a savage grin as he watched the small alpha cower below him. He snorted loudly before turning on his heel and moving towards the exit. He stopped at the door before it opened and turned his head slightly to the side, "oh, and Sai-kun, be sure not to displease me again, for I may not be as forgiving next time." The door then opened and then he was gone.

======xoxoxo======

Kabuto reviewed his notes in the various notebooks spread out on his desk. He double checked his inventory list with the jars and vials located in various cabinets. He smiled quietly to himself on several occasions. It had been almost a week, but he was sure he had everything he needed. He glanced at the still figure on the table. The canvas material covering most of the figure rose slowly, indicating steady breathing and deep sleep. Kabuto smirked again. Today was that day and all should go to plan. He relayed the confrontation with sensei.

 _Orochimaru frowned when entering the lab, directly moving towards the sleeping form on the table. 'What's the meaning of this Kabuto-kun?' he voice furious as his eyes moved over the small body. 'I informed you to gather the research delicately! You may have inflicted permanent damage!'_

 _Kabuto held his bowed position. 'Excuse me my lord, but he had come in under unknown drug substances that I believe Sai had administered before bringing him to me.'_

 _'How is that you could not know what possible substances they are considering you're an expert in the field of chemicals?' Orochimaru snapped back heatedly._

 _'Beg your pardon my lord, but on several occasions I had also found Sai leaving the room when I would step away. He would refuse to be compliant and proclaim dominance over his mate. I have reason to believe that Sai administered drugs to Sasuke during those times of my absence my lord. It was unfortunate that when I would continue with the research, Sasuke would often react violently. I did not understand why the reaction had occurred at that time and it wasn't until just recently I began to suspect Sai.'_

 _Orochimaru growled deeply as he gripped the table that Sasuke laid upon. 'Desist anymore research on Sasuke and allow him to heal. I will review your work and determine if more information is needed. In the meantime, I will discuss this with Sai.' He snarled out as he turned and left the room._

Kabuto chuckled again recalling the situation. Though Sai proclaimed innocence, sensei still punished Sai and he was sent to solitary confinement for the week after a sound whipping. He was only just recently released and was just assigned a mission. Kabuto was disappointed that sensei didn't kill Sai, but apparently sensei was reminded that Sai was valuable in his expertise. No matter, Sai being around still allowed Kabuto to utilize him. He moved around the lab checking his notes before a knock was heard.

"Come," he called out, gathering up his bag and shoving his notes into it. Two large men entered the room, dressed in jeans and plaid jackets. Their hair tucked under worn ball caps that shadowed the top half of their faces and one was chewing loudly and sloppily, most likely on chewing tobacco. Kabuto inwardly gagged at the thought.

"I have the specimen in the bag all ready, grab it and let's get going," Kabuto spat out at the two goons. The two looked towards the table where the body lay, only his head was not yet tucked into the canvas bag. They moved quickly, zipping up the remainder of the bag over the head and the larger of the two hoisted the body over his shoulder.

"Let's go," Kabuto gave the order and moved through the open door. The two goons followed quickly behind and closing the door quietly behind them.

======intermission=====

Orochimaru was sitting in a library at one of his homes going through a large manual. As he flipped the pages, he took small sips of tea while his eyes skimmed over the text. His position in the world had him listed as a renowned scientific researcher, therefore he was in high demand to review researching completed by various scientists from all over the world. Dozens of materials were sent to his managers every week and it was up to the managers to determine what would be worth Orochimaru's time to review. He sighed as he leaned back and took another sip of tea. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes, taking a short break from reviewing the pages. He frowned when a knock was heard at the library door.

"Come in," he sighed out. A broad shouldered man, dressed in a suit, entered the room. He bowed and handed over a folded paper. "Please excuse me Orochimaru-sama, he said it was an emergency." He turned and left the room. Orochimaru opened the slip of paper and reviewed the contents. Part of his lip lifted into a snarl as he suddenly slapped his hands together and crumpled the paper. He stood and made his way to the door, flinging it open hard enough that when it thumped into the wall, a framed picture fell to the floor. "Get me the car, NOW!" he snarled down the hallway as he stormed towards the exit.

Orochimaru stormed through the laboratory doors, ignoring the various persons skittering out of his way. His aura was shrieking in fury as he made his way down a long corridor until he came to the door he was looking for. He slammed the door open, his alpha releasing a growl as his yellow eyes fell upon his assistant. Kabuto jumped up from his desk and quickly fell to his knees, his forehead falling to the floor in a low bow. "Explain!" Orochimaru shot out in a snarl.

Kabuto remained on the ground, not daring to look up. "I was requested to attend another residence to determine the progress of an experiment. It would only require me to be away for half the day my lord. When I returned, Sasuke-kun was gone."

Orochimaru's eyes flashed as he looked around the lab. He examined the table where Sasuke was last laying upon, but found nothing, as it was a sterile laboratory table and only a small reminisce of Sasuke's scent remained on the stainless steel.

"I have gone over the room to try and find any evidence and have found none my lord," Kabuto added on. "Nor do I know where Sai-kun is located either my lord, as I sought him out to ask if he was involved."

Orochimaru roared in frustration as he grabbed the sterile table and flipped it across the room. He swiftly turned, slammed open the door again and stormed out. Kabuto remained poised in a low bow on the floor so nobody could see his nefarious grin.

=========xoxoxoxo========

Sai brushed his pant legs off as he made his way though a back lane heading towards a motel. It had been a few days since he was put on this retrieval mission and he had finally completed it this night. He was dirty, sweaty and exhausted, but the job was done and he was looking forward to a long bath and a full nights sleep. He pulled the electronic key from his pocket, opening his motel room door and slipping into the dark room. He moved to turn on the light but was surprised when he found his face hitting the floor, his nose breaking in the process and he cried out from the pain.

The room was suddenly bathed in light and Sai was roughly lifted from the floor by two large hands and was shoved to his knees. He struggled with vengeance only to have his arms twisted behind his body by a strong force and another strong force holding his face steady. He had no time to call out before he focused on a figure sitting on a chair in his motel room.

"O-Orochimaru-sama?" Sai coughed out. He could feel the blood running from his for sure broken nose, the pain throbbing but his eyes widened in question as what his sensei could be doing here. "W-what…"

"I like to believe I'm a reasonable alpha Sai-kun, believing that sometimes, young ones sometimes need to make mistakes before they learn," Orochimaru purred out as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I really did like you and your…work." He flittered his hand about, to add emphasis to the word.

"W-what sensei?" Sai sputtered out again, his eyes wide with question.

Orochimaru stood up gracefully and took steps towards Sai. Sai's eyes watched as the figure grew closer and appeared calm and graceful, the yellow eyes focused hard on his body. Orochimaru stopped before Sai's kneeling body and crouched down to his yellow eyes opened wide and Orochimaru tilted his head from side to side, as if studying the figure before him. "Oh Sai-kun, why do not tell me honestly what you have done," Orochimaru spoke softly as he brought the back of his fingers to Sai's cheek and began to stroke the skin. "I had given you the opportunity to prove to me that you learned your lesson, but…tsk…I am _very_ disappointed in you."

Sai's eyes widened in fear, his mouth agape as he breathed heavily since he couldn't through his nose. "My l-lord…I-I don't know…" he stuttered out. He cried out in pain as a hand cracked across his cheek, causing his head to forcefully be struck to the side. "P-please! M-my lord! W-what did…" Sai sobbed out.

"Silence! Tell me where he is and I may let you off with a lighter sentence!" Orochimaru snarled out as he stood up, towering over Sai who was still forcefully held down by two large goons.

"I-I don't know! P-Please my lord! Let me…" Sai cried out. His body shook, his bladder released onto the floor, his alpha cowered within as the wrath of the superior alpha above him vibrated through his very soul.

"Shh, shh…"Orochimaru placed a hand on Sai's head. "It's alright now," he purred out as he began to pet at Sai's hair. He motioned his men and Sai was hoisted up on his two feet, the two men holding him up as Sai struggled to hold his head up. Sai hiccupped through breaths and sobs as Orochimaru brought his hand up to tilt up Sai's chin. "Now, Sai-kun," he purred out again, "you really are one of my favorites, but you have to return my prize now." Orochimaru began rubbing his palm against Sai's cheek. "Now, where have you hidden my Sasuke-kun?"

Sai widened his eyes briefly before he began to huff out sobs. "I-I don't…"

Orochimaru flicked away his hand from Sai's face and give a displeased tsk. He turned to his goons. "Help this little alpha remember," Orochimaru huffed out before making his way around the two goons and leaving the room. The breaking muffled cries of Sai did not perplex him in the slightest as he made his way to his waiting car. His frown was deep and his alpha rumbled deep as his car door was held open for him. He had more work to do.

=========xoxoxo==========

The pack stood around the hospital bed, holding each other's hands and silently watching the sleeping blond alpha on the bed. If it was any other room, any other bed, one would think the blond alpha was sleeping soundly. Soft snores were heard from the corner of the room where a gray long haired aging alpha slouched in a chair, his chin tucked to his chest, and his hands resting upon his slightly protruding stomach. Only a soft beeping sound accompanied the breathy snores, the heart monitor attached to Naruto. The week had slowly creeped by, as the pack waited anxiously for Tsunade to bring more hopeful news. The pack barely managed to get through the past few days, but thankfully no more violent breakdowns that lead to fists and fur flying.

Tsunade had informed Kakashi that Naruto was being moved to a private room and was now allowed visitors. She did not go into detail and instructed the pack to attend as she would explain to everyone at once. Something about it being easier and everyone will get the same explanation at the same time. Hinata and Sakura moved in closer, hugging each other as they watched the sleeping form. His face was no longer covered with a breathing apparatus and the pack could see the paleness of Naruto's face.

The door opened with a soft swoosh behind them, Tsunade and Kakashi breezing through the door softly and quickly. Tsunade's assistant quietly closed the door and followed Tsunade to the side of the bed, Kakashi taking a place to the side of the pack. Tsunade held a clipboard in her arms as she stood firm and faced the pack.

"As you can see, Naruto's condition has improved. He is breathing fully on his own now and only requires a nasal cannula. This is to ensure that he is gets a substantial amount of a continuous oxygen flow while in the coma." She gestured her hand over to Naruto's head, her fingers flexing out in direction of the tubing leading up to Naruto's nose. "It has been confirmed by my colleague Shizune," she turned slightly and nodded towards the brunette, "that the poison has been completely flushed from his system." Several sounds of relieved sighs were heard in the room. "This being said, I'm sure you are wondering why he would still be in a coma?" She eyed the pack. The pack's eyes were wide and they gave a slight nod. "His physical body was extremely weakened by the silver and which caused extensive damage. In order to heal, he requires a substantial amount of fuel and energy. With fuel, it means nutrients, minerals, vitamins, all that stuff the body IV bag," she pointed up to the bag that was hooked to a tube that flowed down to Naruto's arm, "is feeding him constantly the fuel his body needs to successfully heal." She took a deep breath as she watched the pack, waiting to see if there was any questions. The pack remained silent.

Tsunade took the silence to continue. "There may be some damage to the tissues in his mind that we are unable to confirm until he wakes. As I informed you before, we are not able to determine when he will gain consciousness. When his body is ready, I am confident he will wake." She smiled slightly and turned towards the sleeping alpha. She brought the clipboard closer to her chest, in a make shift hug. "I am pleased to announce that he has shown some positive improvements in the last week that lifts my confidence more," she whispered out.

"Tsunade-sama." It was Sakura. "What sort of improvements?"

"Various movements, mostly in his fingers. Certain sounds his eyelids may flutter. This is why I havecalled you all together. As a pack, I want you all to take time with him either alone or in pairs, never to many of you at once and talk to him. He may respond quicker to those sounds that are familiar to him," Tsunade explained.

"There is some research that has shown that familiar sounds are helpful to those recovering from a coma," Shizune spoke next.

"W-what should we talk about?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Almost anything," Shizune responded, smiling gently at Hinata. "Come read him a story, tell him about your day, how the weather is. Things like that."

"Do not speak of any concerns at this time though," Tsunade spoke up firmly, her eyes meeting each pack member briefly. "I don't need him worrying about things out there prior to his recovery. I need him to work on getting himself healthy."

The pack members nodded at each other, humming in agreement.

"So it's settled then," Kakashi spoke up, "the pack will make a time table of who comes when." He nodded towards the pack who hummed in agreement again. Tsunade nodded her head towards the pack members and turned to head out the door.

"Tsunade-sama?" Kyuubi spoke up, Tsunade hesitated, turned to face him, indicating he had her attention. "A word privately if I may?" Tsunade frowned slightly, her eyes squinted slightly at him.

"Hn," she responded, jerking her head towards the door then moving towards it. "Shizune, I'll be in my office. Ensure you go over the protocols to the pack on visiting the hospital and inform the staff on allowing the pack members all access in a 24 hour time frame for visitation. Kyuubi, come with me." Tsunade swooshed open the door and breezed through it, not waiting for a response.

Kakashi caught Kyuubi's shoulder as he turned to follow. "Hey, it's alright, things will get better," Kakashi breathed out with confidence in his voice, his eyes focused on Kyuubi's.

"Fucking rights it will, I'll make sure of it," Kyuubi spit out as he jerked his shoulder away from Kakashi and proceeded out the door following Tsunade.

Kyuubi knocked briefly at the closed door and entered Tsunade's office when she called. Kyuubi walked directly to her desk, standing at attention with a firm look on his face. He waited for Tsunade to acknowledge him.

Tsunade quickly signed at some papers on her desk, shuffled them into a pile before meeting Kyuubi's hard look. She smirked slightly and leaned back in her desk chair. "By the look on your face you have something to request," she snorted out, while tapping her fingertips over the arms of her chair. "Well spit it out baka, let me hear this idea of yours."

"Tsunade-sama, permission to let me investigate on my own for the fucker that did this to Naruto," Kyuubi spat out through clenched teeth, his hands were constricting, releasing small pops from the knuckles.

Tsunade leaned forward into her desk, resting her hands on her hands. Her eyes never leaving Kyuubi and calculating his request. "You have a responsibility right now to the pack, as second in command," she countered his request with political protocol.

"I have a responsibility to MY ALPHA!" Kyuubi roared out, bringing his fists down hard onto the desk. He was breathing hard and glaring at Tsunade, who didn't even flinch. "The bastards who did this deserve to _suffer!_ Will you deny that of Naruto?!" Kyuubi huffed out, his tone harsh and bitter.

Tsunade snorted out slightly as she assessed the wild red haired lower ranked alpha, who showed off his flashing eyes, his cheek flushed with anger, teeth bared and his arms quivering slightly with agitation. She had to admit she was impressed with this side of him. _'He will definitely make some fine offspring someday. If he can find someone to put up with him,'_ she inwardly chuckled to herself. She tilted her head at him and raised an eyebrow, as if questioning his behavior. Kyuubi noted the subtle look and stood up straight quickly. He said nothing in response to his outburst. _'Hmph, stubborn brat. Thinks he can get away with mouthing off to me.'_ Tsunade leaned back again in her chair, her eyes not leaving Kyuubi before she stood, leaning her weight on her arms as she leaned forward over the desk.

"Listen here pup," she breathed out in a firm tone. " ** _YOU_** have a responsibility to the pack members being second in command, which means that your choices effect all of them." She pointed her finger at his chest, her eyes behind her fist as she spoke, zeroed in on the red haired wolf. "What ** _YOU_** decide and do, will always fall on the pack, no matter what. Their safety should **_ALWAYS_** be your first consideration!" She sighed loudly as she brought her fingers to the bridge of her nose and pinched. "And I am not going to even touch on the potential political disaster that could come with any negligent decision making," she breathed out in a mumble, but clear enough to be heard.

"But Tsunade-sama listen…" Kyuubi began to speak out.

"And I don't need some emotional alpha going all vigilante on my watch!" Tsunade cut him off, her palm coming down to slap the desk that echoed through the room. Kyuubi flinched slightly. "Do I make myself **_clear?_** **"** her voice dropped as she snarled out the word, glaring a dare at the red haired alpha.

Kyuubi clicked his mouth shut as he slightly pouted out his bottom lip, his eyes falling to the floor. "Yes Tsunade-sama."

"Good," Tsunade sighed out and sat back down at her chair, "now get the hell out of here." She flicked her wrist a few times towards the door. Kyuubi released an agitated sigh before turning away from the desk. "And Kyuubi-kun," Tsunade called out. He hesitated at the door, tilting his head, waiting for her to speak. "You may not think it, but we are looking into the situation Kyuubi, do not doubt me," she explained in a softer tone. Kyuubi nodded slightly before opening the door and stepping out.

===========XOXOXOX==========

Thudded paws hit the soft moist ground of the forest floor. Slight huffs and panting sounds were released as four large wolves made their way through the trees. The moonlight was bright, highlighting the fur off of each animal and providing illuminated areas in the darkness, not that the keen site of the wolves needed it.

 _'Spread out more and meet up at the scheduled area in 60 minutes!'_ Itachi called to his members through the bond. Light barks and snaps of jaws were heard as the four spread out from each other, heading in their own each direction.

Itachi drew his paws up hard and fast. He was frustrated and getting desperate. It was the first week of March and Sasuke had been missing for almost two weeks. Itachi's wolf was causing physical damage to his exterior as it continued its wrath of anger and despair on his mentality. He had not slept fully for days, the results showing in his face with deep dark areas under his eyes, his eye sockets looked sunken and his cheeks began to look hollow. Deidara attempted to quell the superior alpha on several occasions but Itachi turned him away. He would not allow his mate to take the wrath of the alpha when Itachi felt at fault. If only he found the ones responsible sooner, if only he had someone follow him, if only he had taught Sasuke more, if only….if only…. Itachi felt the weight on his mind as his alpha wallowed out in despair, thinking about where his pack member was, what he could be going bit his cheek and shook his massive head hard that had his tongue lulled out and bits of salvia splattered onto the surrounding leaves. **No!** He had to stop thinking that way! He pulled his mind out of the dark and pushed forward, as the pack continued to broaden their search area every night.

Deidara broke through some trees to an area he hadn't explored yet, deep within the forest, several hundred kilometers away from any main road or cell phone tower. The area was rumored to have bigfoot in the area and Deidara scoffed at the thought. He had seen how people were infatuated with the thought of some big hairy two legged ape like creature hiding and living within the vast acres of the surrounding forests. Deidara himself had never seen such beasts in all his years living as a werewolf and considers humans to be full of notions to escape their own realities.

 _'Huh, ridiculous!'_ he chuckled to himself as he took note of where he had broken through. ' _The bush and trees appear to have been broken through_ …' he sniffed the area. _'Huh…there is vehicle tracks here, not very old either.'_ Deidara determined which way the tracks had headed and followed the trail. Humans were not known for coming this deep in the woods unless they were on the hunt. He hoped it wasn't bigfoot hunters again cause damn he didn't want to have play the skittish bigfoot again to lure them away. _'Ridiculous!'_ Deidara huffed out again to himself as he continued to follow the trial. The trial led to rock formations near the foot of one of the mountains.

 _'Hmm, I can hear…'_ Deidara stopped and listened carefully. He was certain he heard human chatter, echoing off the rocks. _'Sounds like at least two…two males.'_ He padded carefully forward, his ears perked, eyes focused on the area ahead of him where the muffled voices were coming from and his paws falling softly muffling any sounds from the ground.

He came to an area that was open to more rock than forest. He spotted an off-road vehicle, parked near what appeared to be an opening in the rocks. He could hear the muffled voices of the humans closer now.

 _'A cave! What and who the hell are they…'_ Deidara thought carefully as he crept closer. He was near the back of the off-road vehicle when a scent slammed into his muzzle. Deidara's head popped straight up, eyes wide, his ears perked forward as he took a deep breath to inhale the scent that invaded his senses. As he took in the scent, his ears fell straight back, eyes squinted and glowed in anger as he lowered his head and clenched his teeth together. He released a low growl while lowering his body in an attack stance asa his hackles rose. _'Sasuke. I'm coming.'_

 **========XOXOXOX========**

Well, how was that?

I may not always post an update on my tumblr site but feel free to look at my boring profile! inluvwnaruto is my handle :D

So, much is starting to be exposed. I certainly hope this chapter was pleasing to others as it was to me.


	14. Chapter 14

I know its been awhile, but here we go! Torture, gruesomeness and tears. Be forewarned of icky situations that you may not like.

If you want to say hello, say goodbye, give a thumbs up, give a flame, by all means, leave your mark and let me know you were here :)

You can creep me on tumblr / twitter / instagram !

=======on with the show!======

Muffled speaking broke through the darkness first. It was low enough to not be able to make out defined words but loud enough to crack through the dark recesses of quiet to a more conscious state. A pounding began to vibrate through the darkness along with the muffled speaking. Then the pain waves began to seep in, like a crack in a basement wall, the pain began to overfill the area and swallow up the sounds.

Sasuke felt his lips open to release a cry from the burning sensations beginning to overwhelm his body. His throat burned as he struggled to get air across his windpipe. The pain was practically everywhere on every inch of skin. His eyes squeezed shut hard as he began to pant harshly through the waves of pain. Where am I? How long was I sleeping? Why aren't I dead? The questions rolled continuously through his mind as the pain rippled through his body.

"Looks like some 'un is awake," a burly voice vibrated through the darkness of pain in Sasuke's head. "Scorch grab the 'her-tic fork. Don't need ya bite'n little one." A dark chuckle vibrated again through the darkness.

Sasuke felt a cold cord around his neck while someone held his head steady and the sound of something snapping together before his chin was released. His chin came into contact with needle sharp pricks and he felt the sting of needle sharp pricks hit his chest at the same time. He inhaled harshly as he tipped his chin up away from the pain and found the pain on his chest stopped when he lifted this chin. He tilted his head as best he could to the side, his instincts trying to move away from the pain. The pulsing pain going through his head continued as he felt his skin fell like it was melting and dripping off him from being on fire. He couldn't stop the whimpers releasing from his lips, calling out for help.

"Well there little one," the burly voice spoke again. "I wasn't expectin' you to wake up before we were done wich cha. Don't matter though, we can still finish up testing before we get to the high priced goods!" The voice gave a gleeful whoop when different pitched hums of agreement obviously came from other humans breached the darkness. "Let's make sure we keep you quiet, can't have yah going wolf on us now. Scorch, grab me that syringe that Mr. Kabuto gave."

"Sorry Truck, but we used up the last one already."

"Well shit, then guess we will have to finish up quickly then. Grab that there book first. Let's make sure we have the info we need for our **_guide book_**." The man named Truck waved his hand about in a direction across the room, giving direction to the other man.

Sasuke forced his eyes to open slightly, his instincts pulling hard at his mentality to try and escape as his body quivered involuntary from exhaustion and the cold. The room was a haze of light with blurred shadows around. He kept his head to the side, his neck shaking slightly trying to keep away from the needle pricking pain that lay near his chin and chest. If he dropped his chin, the prods of pain would return to his chin and chest. He struggled to sniff the air, but no scents came, just his own stench of burning skin and blood. He made out three moving shadows, but nothing came to focus.

A tray moved into his line of site. Objects were being placed down, making a loud clang when dropped, Sasuke flinched as each noise pierced his head like a knife.

"Hello sleepy head. Good to see those eyes." Sasuke heard the voice right above him but not whom it came from. "I hope to get a good price on those beauties." The voice hummed as items continued to be placed on a tray.

Sasuke bit back a whimper as he reached out to his mind, seeking his wolf. A whisper of an emotion touched his inner self lightly, like a feather brushing by your ankle in a breeze. Sasuke gasped lightly, a glimmer of hope touched at his tear ducts, the familiar bite of tears threatening to fall, but didn't. Sasuke closed his eyes, pushing back the pain as best he could as he mentally reached deep within the recesses of his mind again. _There_! _It was there_! A slight wave of light, like an aurora of light in the winter night sky. Drifting aimlessly through the darkness, as if trying to find the way out. Sasuke chocked out a whimper as he continued to swim through the darkness of his mind with waves of heat blistering pain lapping at him while trying to reach the shimmer of light.

Itachi's four paws slid him to a halt in a clearing, waiting for his pack to arrive. The sixty minute time frame was up, the rest of the pack should be gathering shortly. As he glanced at the moon, his wolf huffed out breaths of air, feeling agitated and restless, while Itachi waited. He turned to the noises of brush breaking when Hidan broke through the right area of brush, shortly followed by Kisame who broke through to the left. Itachi turned to greet the two wolves and waited for his mate to break through the last area.

 _'Report,'_ Itachi commanded through the bond.

Kisame and Hidan explained their findings, or lack thereof. Itachi's wolf mentally released a dark cloud of annoyance as the two pack members reported how their trails were led to dead ends. Itachi shook his head, trying to keep his thoughts clear, he couldn't lose focus now.

He turned his head to where Deidara should be arriving and snorted. Something was wrong, he should have been able to feel his presence by now. Itachi turned fully to the direction and focused on the dark line of trees with his ears perked forward. He was late and Itachi thought back to any time that Deidara was late. He reached out with his senses to see if Deidara was nearby, but it came up blank. His alpha wolf perked its own ears up and began to nudge at Itachi's anxiety. _'Trace Deidara now,'_ Itachi barked at Kisame and Hidan. They nodded in agreement and galloped towards the direction that Deidara was to cover, Itachi on their heels.

Deidara sniffed the air as he moved around the entrance to the cave. It appeared to be an old mine, long since used for mining minerals, but the area near the outside had been reinforced with fresh wood, Deidara could smell the new materials against the old rotting wood from deep inside the cave. Staying in the shadows, treading quietly, he began to assess the situation. A slight glow of light came from the entrance, muffles could be heard of humans speaking and the smell of death and old blood lingered in the air. Deidara could not tell how many humans were inside, he guessed two but there could be more, as the off road vehicle was rather large and could fit six grown men easily. _'I need to rescue Sasuke, who knows what is going on there or how long he will last!'_ Deidara began to worry, as Sasuke had been gone for two weeks and if he was at the hands of these probable hunters, there was a chance he was at deaths door. He needed to get closer to see what was going on inside, perhaps he could just sneak his way…

 _'DEIDARA!'_ A shout came through the bond. It was Kisame. Deidara perked his ears in the direction where his wolf hearing had picked up Kisame coming through the trees.

 _'Quiet! I found Sasuke with possible hunters!'_ Deidara hissed back through the bond. Kisame instantly slowed to a stop, several yards from Deidara.

 _'What's the status? Itachi and Hidan are on their way!'_ Kisame responded with a growl. His hackles rising at the thought of what hunters were doing to Sasuke.

 _'In an old cave, don't know how many there are, perhaps three, Sasuke is still alive…for now. We need to get in there now!'_ Deidara's voice rose in panic.

 _'No! Wait! We need to determine the situation!'_ Kisame growled out as Itachi and Hidan came closer. _'Hunters! Tread carefully!'_ he called out to Itachi and Hidan, who instantly began to slow and quiet their advance.

 _'Itachi! They have Sasuke! He's alive! We need…'_ Deidara called out through the bond. His paws prancing in anxiety as a quiet whimper escaped his muzzle.

 _'Deidara! Hold your position! Let's assess and then we will -rip them apart-!'_ Itachi let lose a feral growl with the others.

"Okay princess, time to talk now," a husky voice spoke as hands slapped at Sasuke's cheeks. "I managed to get some research done while you were outta it, but I got a few more questions I need you to answer for me. K cutie?"

Sasuke managed a small snarl at the man as his eyes looked down over his body, noting dozens of cuts, and bruises littering his now grey skin. Now he understood why he was suffocating in a blanket of pain. Sasuke then rolled his eyes up to the human that hovered over him. The device still attached to his neck limited his head movement, thus he had to depend on his eyes to look about the room. The man's breath blew over Sasuke's nose and reeked of tobacco and rot. Sasuke held back the urge to vomit and struggled to hold face at his captor.

"Tell me princess," the rot breath man spoke, "I know your name, and I know your bloodline, so does all your family have such pretty eyes?" He used his filthy sausage thumb and forefinger to pry open one of Sasuke's eye lids and leaned in closer to look. Sasuke's muscles quivered uncontrollably but he managed to throw a glare at his captor.

"F-f-fuck you," Sasuke stuttered out through his raw throat and attempted to pull his head away.

"Ah! Dere you are princess! What a sweet voice you have!" the man chuckled. "Can you make your eyes change for me on demand hm?" He pinched open Sasuke's eye lid a little hard, causing Sasuke to whimper slightly.

"Truck, here's the knife you wanted," a voice spoke from behind the man named Truck.

"Thanks scorch, put unknown about the eye thing would ya?" He released Sasuke's eye, grabbed the knife and then turned back to Sasuke. "Now princess, how about your family, how many are there of ya?"

Sasuke just glared the best he could at the man, his lips remaining closed. Sasuke then suddenly yowled a cry as he felt the immediate burning pain go through his thigh. The pain overtook all other senses as instinct told his body to try and scramble away from the pain in his leg. His body shook and twisted, but his limbs were strapped solid as he continued to hiccup out cries of agony.

"Scorch, write that the wolfsbane coated blade made a clean slice like a hot knife through butter! Woo-ee! I gotta remember to use this shit on all my stuff! Makin' it for an easier job wouldn't cha say?! Day-am!"

Sasuke sobbed dryly through the pain, his eyes squinted and begging to release tears, though none came. He was so dehydrated, there was no moisture left to produce. As his muscles spasmed involuntary through the pain, a soft flicker touched his senses, expressing a glint of warmth. _His wolf_! It was there, but like a wisp of fog threatened to be burned off by the sun at any moment. Sasuke mentally reached into the darkness for the soft sense, trying to grasp through air. He was suddenly ripped from the darkness as another electric ripping of pain ran through his system. A retched scream ripped through his throat at the pain while his instincts forced him to try and move away, but he was still strapped down. His mind then released a thick dense fog of fear over his senses. Instincts pulled Sasuke to try and curl into himself, away from the pain, but the restraints cut into his arms and legs as his body struggled.

"Well, finger bones are slow to heal up, wonder if the bigger bones are even slower," the man called truck hummed to himself as he held up Sasuke's hand with fingers bent in several different abnormal directions. The man called scorch wrote into a book behind him. "We could try the leg bone eh?" The man began to move towards Sasuke's feet after dropping Sasuke's arm down without a care.

Sasuke wheezed in gasps of air through the pain. His chest constricted painfully as his instincts continued to try to twist and drag his body away from the pain, the blood starting to pool under his limbs as the restraints continued to cut into his skin. His instincts had him whimpering and whining out for his pack, calling for help and fogging Sasuke's mind to ease the panic and pain. He twitched to the side suddenly as he vaguely felt his wolf nudge hard at his senses, as if trying to tell him it was there, he wasn't alone, and Sasuke slowly began to sob hiccups and peer through the fog of fear. He began to feel relief in feeling that his wolf was still with him and that he wasn't alone. He felt his body start to go lax as the nudges and heat of his wolf begin to embrace him. As the outside pain continued to riddle his body while the hunters poked, scratched, cut, violated and whatever else they were doing to his body, he mentally reached into the heat of his wolf, begging to be engulfed within its warmth, to feel whole once more and be taken away. As his breathing began to slow into shallow pants, he inwardly smiled as he embraced the darkness within. He felt at peace knowing that he was finally going to die and silently thanked his wolf for always being there for him even when Sasuke felt it wasn't.

"Scorch! Looks like its time, he's starting to drop, get the stuff ready. Tell Zack to get the coolers from the truck," the gruff man named truck called out as he dropped Sasuke's leg and started gathering up jars, lining them up on a tray by Sasuke. The man named scorch jumped up, yelled out to the other man to get the coolers before heading around a corner towards some stacked crates against a side wall.

A scream echoed off the walls in the cave that suddenly had the two men scrambling to their feet and stumbling towards their guns lying near the cave entrance. The sounds of deep vibrating growls filled the area in the cave immediately and the two men had no time to unlock their guns. The man called scorch fell to the ground as his head was instantly impaled by a muzzle full of teeth and a large mass of silver fur. The man called truck stumbled backwards and tripped over his own feet, falling to his ass, as a large black furred wolf padded slowly towards him. Lips curled up over bright canines as deep snarls vibrated though the muzzle with froth dripping from its mouth. Yellow eyes glowed in fury and were focused on the man who now quaked in fear on his ass, struggling to move backwards away from the massive black wolf. The man's head suddenly flopped back, eyes were wide, and mouth slacked open as blood now gushed from the ripped hole in the front of his neck. He had no time to scream before his entire throat was ripped out. The body fell back with a hard thud.

 _'Sasuke! Sasuke!'_ Itachi called through the bond. No response came through. Itachi quickly morphed back into his human form as Hidan and Kisame ensured the two other humans were dead. Deidara ran up behind Itachi as they stepped deeper into the cave.

"Oh my god, the smell 'tachi," Deidara's voice coughed out. "So much death," Deidara sobbed out slightly, as he brought his arm up to cover his nose. "Sasuke un, where are you!" he called out.

"Sasuke!" Itachi cried out as he ran around a small bend in the cave. "Sasuke!" Itachi ran towards the platform that held the still form of his brother. "S-sasuke, oh…my…god," Itachi chocked out as he fell hard to his knees and attempted to suppress the tears. His fingers shook violently as he struggled to undo the blood coated straps on Sasuke's wrists and ankles. He nearly vomited as he tackled at the device that was strapped to Sasuke's neck, its sharp fork points left holes in Sasuke's chin and chest.

"Oh no, oh no…no…please no…" Itachi whispered out as he gently put his arms around Sasuke's shoulders, tenderly lifting Sasuke's body towards his own. Cradling Sasuke's head, he tipped his forehead to touch Sasuke's, his lip quivering as he struggled to feel any source of heat. His skin was so cold, grey and littered with purple & sickly yellow bruising, open cuts, clotted cuts and scabs. Itachi's heaved out stuttering sobs as small tears began to spill down his cheeks while he pulled Sasuke's body against his chest, cradling Sasuke's head in the crook of his arm.

"S-sasuke…c-come on," Itachi whimpered out as he stroked his palm down Sasuke's cheek, "wake up…come on otouto, p-please." Itachi repeated as he rocked the cool body, continuously running his palm across Sasuke's face, pushing his bangs to the side.

Deidara came up behind Itachi, gasping loudly and quickly covering his mouth with both his hands. Tears began to fall down his cheeks as he shook his head over and over, not believing what he was seeing. "Nuh uh.. no no… this isn't…t-this…" Deidara's breath began to wheeze as his sobs intensified. He reached over to hold Sasuke's hand and screeched. "B-baby! W-what have they…" Deidara couldn't finish his words as held Sasuke's broken fingered hand up to his cheek, wails of pain ripping through his lips as he kissed at Sasuke's broken hand.

Hidan and Kisame came running up and gasped at the site. Their alpha was on his knees hunched over, shaking, rocking back and forth while whispering and crying softly. Deidara was on his knees, stroking, kissing and wailing howls with tears beside their alpha.

"Wha' the…" Hidan rushed over to look over his alpha. "SHIT! Kisame!" Hidan fell to his knees by his alpha, "Itachi, let me see. He could be alive," he whispered sternly. Itachi didn't stop rocking and holding Sasuke's head, it was as if he didn't hear. Itachi continued to whisper and run a hand over Sasuke's cheek. Hidan managed to maneuver his hand on Sasuke's neck to feel for a pulse. Kisame hovered nearby, petting Deidara's hair, trying to soothe him. Hidan held firm as his fingers pushed on the artery on Sasuke's neck. "Fuck, come on..come on…" he growled, moving his ear close to Sasuke's head. "SHIT! There's a pulse, fuck! Come on! We gotta get him warm!" Hidan started shouting when he jumped up. "Itachi! Hurry!" Itachi's head snapped up at Hidan yelling. Deidara sniffled loudly before he too turned his head. "Dammit! Come on! Snap out of it, we gotta save Sasuke!" Hidan ran about the cave looking for anything to cover Sasuke with. He managed to find a wool blanket, not the best, but will do for now as he brought it to Itachi.

Itachi suddenly came to his senses. "Kisame! Hot wire that car outside and let's get out of here! When we're in service area, someone call Kakashi!" Itachi barked out orders as he tenderly wrapped Sasuke in the wool blanket. "Otouto, stay with me. That's an order," Itachi grunted out close to Sasuke's ear. Itachi hesitated and listened when a small breathy whimper escaped Sasuke's cracked lips. Itachi felt the warmth of hope in his chest as he held Sasuke close, wrapped in the wool cloth and headed for the mouth of the cave.

When the pack pulled up to their home, Kakashi was already waiting. The pack scrambled about getting things together while Itachi hovered over Sasuke as Kakashi examined him all over carefully. He pulled out his cell phone, quickly pulling up a number.

"Sakura, bring the supplies needed for severe lesions, lacerations, possible infections and the suture kit. I'm going to have to reset bones as well, several IV bags and about half dozen bags of type O blood. The injuries are severe enough it is a possible code blue, hunter related, hurry, I'm at the Uchiha residence." Kakashi snapped his phone closed, shoving it into his pocket before turning to Itachi. "He needs heat to elevate his blood pressure and I'm going to need several clean materials to have available in the room. Have the pack boil lots of water, keep sterile bowls, sheets, towels around and be prepared to be able to go out on an errand within seconds of being requested should it be needed. Bring in the heat lamps and I'll work on stopping any bleeding until Sakura gets here." Kakashi barked out orders and Itachi wasted no time in moving to get the pack to collect the required supplies Kakashi needed.

As Kakashi worked on wiping the swollen areas covered in blood and dirt, the pack worked at setting up two heat lamps over Sasuke's body while Itachi ran his hand through Sasuke's blood dirt covered hair. He cringed as he took in the site of Sasuke's battered body as Kakashi revealed more areas under the caked blood and dirt. Sliced areas, stab marks, piercings, puss infected areas, black, purple, yellow, green patches all over, the mangled fingers had Sasuke looking as if he was near mutilated. Itachi felt anger and fear rolling about within him. The fear of losing his brother and the anger that boiled at the persons that did this to him. He wished he could bring the hunters back to life and kill them again. "Otouto, I'm ordering you to stay with me, you cannot leave," he whispered sternly. A slight whisper of a breath was heard through Sasuke's lips, though his body didn't move. The alpha that clawed within his mind, demanding to be allowed to release its wrath was somewhat pleased, as Sasuke's wolf was responding to the command, sparking some hope that Sasuke would pull through.

Sakura was led into the room by Kisame, both of whom carried several medical supplies. Sakura placed her bags down while her eyes scanned the room until she zeroed in on Kakashi. "What's the condition Kakashi," Sakura asked as she began to make her way towards Kakashi and Sasuke as she pulled on a lab coat, and then started to put her hair up into a bun.

Itachi quickly spun around and blocked her path, bearing his teeth and releasing a growl with his eyes glowing a deep yellow. A strong enraged scent was released into the air and suppressed the air in the room. Sakura gasped as she instantly stopped and then bowed low towards Itachi. "My apologies alpha, may I assist?" Sakura kept her head lowered as she waited for permission. It was of common knowledge in wolf clans that other clan members cannot just barge into other clan territory without permission. Especially highly respected clans such as the Uchiha and Uzumaki. Itachi approached Sakura's bowed form, his eyes glowing yellow as he began to circle her form. He took in deep breaths of her scent, determining if she was a threat, enemy or neutral party. Kisame and Kakashi were silent in the exchange, both knowing that Itachi's alpha was supreme in this case. Itachi hummed powerfully suddenly and turned away from Sakura, moving towards Sasuke's form. His scent lowered, Sakura knew that she had been given permission to approach. Itachi moved back to Sasuke's head as Sakura came to assess the situation. Her eyes went wide and wet, though no tears fell. She looked up to Itachi and her heart ached for him. Sakura had seen the results of hunter attacks on many occasions, but it was always difficult to see the family members have to deal with the emotional trauma that comes with it.

"Sakura, I need you to start addressing the severe wounds to the lower extremities, while I work on his hands." Kakashi spoke in a no nonsense voice as he began to gather the tools he would need. He glanced up at Itachi, "keep talking to him, he's going to need your strength." Kakashi nodded once before starting to work on Sasuke's hands. "I'm going to give him a sedative to decrease the pain, but you know how it doesn't work as well on werewolves." Kakashi mentioned as he glanced up over at Itachi. Itachi just nodded his response and held his hands gently on either side of Sasuke's head.

Deidara paced the kitchen, wiping down cupboards, sweeping the area and going back to wiping down the areas again. Itachi had been in the closed room with Sasuke for some time now and Deidara didn't know the situation Sasuke was in. Deidara held back a sob as fresh memories came forward of Sasuke's mangled body, tortured by hunters for who knows how long and so close to death. Scrubbing furiously at the counter tops and table was the only way he could stop himself from succumbing to a sobbing mess. If that were to happen, then what use would he be?

Itachi padded quietly into the kitchen behind Deidara while he was busy wiping down areas again, who didn't hear nor sense him coming into the room. His eyes glowed deep amber and forcused on the blond moving about the kitchen. He moved forward quickly, silently before his strong arms moved suddenly and gathered around Deidara's body, pulling him in close. Itachi dipped his nose into Deidara's hair, breathing in deeply as he inhaled the scent. The alpha purred deeply while sucking in the scent of his mate. Deidara gasped slightly before relaxing into his alpha's arms, tilting his head to the side slightly, giving Itachi more access to his neck.

Deidara shuddered slightly, realizing that Itachi was not in the room with Sasuke anymore and it could only mean one of two things…

"Itachi 'un, w-what…" Deidara was to nervous to ask. He squeezed Itachi's forearms as Itachi continued to nuzzle his neck and squeeze Deidara tighter. _'This c-can't be a good sign,' he thought worriedly._ Itachi took in a deep snarling breath before bearing his teeth, clamping down onto Deidara's neck and forcibly puncturing the area . "Ai-ai ahhh…'un!" Deidara breathed out in shock, his fingers squeezing onto Itachi's arms as goosebumps exploded down his arms. His omega wolf shocked into instant submission and triggered Deidara's sensory areas in a flash that had Deidara's knees almost buckle and have him black out. Itachi did not release. His jaw held strong and fast to his neck as small growl vibrated through his teeth into Deidara's neck that had him shivering. One of Itachi's arms held fast and hard around Deidara's midsection while the other began to trail Deidara's hips, claw tips scratching the skin surface and sparking pinches of pain in the path. "-tachi my alpha," Deidara panted through gritted teeth, "t-tell me, wha…" A louder growl was heard through the clamped teeth on his neck and Deidara panted faster as he brought his hand up to run his fingers through Itachi's hair. "Okay alpha…I'm yours," he whispered harshly, as he began to grind his ass against Itachi's swollen clothed member.

Itachi snarled loudly when his jaws released Deidara's neck and swiftly twisted the blond omega around. His eyes, still glowing a deep amber, were focused on the panting flushed face of the omega, who's baby blue eyes were unfocused and glazed with lust. Itachi's alpha released the animalistic desire over his senses and he hoisted Deidara up quickly with both hands grasped firm on his ass cheeks. Deidara's legs instantly wrapped around his hips, arms entwined his neck with his nose buried into Itachi's neck. Itachi's clawed hands squeezed the ass cheeks tight as Deidara released a moaning purr into his neck, causing Itachi's cock to painfully press against its confinement. Ensuring his grip was secure, Itachi carried his mate to their room quickly, kicking the door closed behind them.

Sometime later, Kakashi waltzed into the kitchen, wiping his brow and nodding his head towards Hidan and Kisame who were now seated at the kitchen table. Both betas watched Kakashi closely while he walked to the fridge, grabbed himself a bottle of water and take several swallows. He took a seat with the two betas and let out a deep sigh.

"He's still unconscious, but the bleeding has stopped and his bones are repairing at a normal rate. He had lost a lot of blood, so we did a blood transfusion while we worked on the areas and I'm thankful he didn't wake, as he would have been in a lot of pain." He grabbed the bottle of water, taking a swig and raising an eyebrow at the two men before him. "You guys look like shit," he tsked. "Get some rest, Sasuke's out of the danger zone. He's stable. Sakura is still tending to wounds, but we will be here through the night to record his progress."

Hidan and Kisame said nothing as their faces seemed to relax somewhat as soon as they understood that Sasuke was on the way to recovery. They glanced at each other, gave a nod before looking back at Kakashi. "Thank you Kakashi-san," Hidan spoke as he rose from the table giving a small bow and left the room.

"Thank you Kakashi-san," Kisame spoke next. "For the pack, I give my thanks as well. I will let Itachi-sama know as soon as he returns. The guest rooms are available for you and Sakura. There is some curry dishes in the fridge, please help yourself." Kisame gave a small bow and made his way towards the kitchen exit.

Kakashi ran a hand through his lock as he took a breath. He began to roll over the nights events. _'How the hell did end up with hunters?' he pondered._ He examined every single wound and there was no way Sasuke was there for two weeks. While the body heals wounds; the texture, size, colour of wounds always change. Therefore, Kakashi confirmed that some of the oldest wounds were maybe three days old, tops. _'Where was he before that cave then? There is more to the mystery here and I can't fucking see it!'_ Kakashi frowned to himself as his fingers tightened around the bottled water, causing it to snap out cracking noises in the now quiet kitchen. He leaned back into the chair and sighed. He had a lot to think about.

Deidara shuffled into the room as Kakashi sat, staring at the ceiling as his fingers tapped silently against the near empty water bottle. His hair tied into a messy bun on top of his head, wearing a night yukata and slippers, he made his way to the kettle and filled it with water. He turned his head slightly to see Kakashi seemingly appeared lost in thought as his eyes focused on the ceiling. Deidara noted the shadow under his eye and limp hair that looked as if it had been pushed back repeatedly. Deidara placed the kettle on the stove to boil and began to prepare the cups.

"Tea 'un?"

Kakashi's chin lazily flopped down to his chest as his head wavered slightly before it turned facing Deidara. Kakashi gave a slight smile and hummed a response. Deidara nodded in response and brought the cups to the table and took a seat across from Kakashi while waiting for the water to boil.

"How's he doing 'un?" he asked with exhausted eyes but hope in his voice.

Kakashi brought a hand up to his chin and rested the weight of his head on it. "Better. He's no longer in the danger zone, still unconscious, but his vitals have stabilized. Sakura and I will be monitoring him throughout the night as he will need at least 12 hours of stabilization to be completely in the clear."

Deidara reached his hand across the table and grasped onto Kakashi's hand. "Thank you 'un," he whispered in a chocked sob. "Without you, I-I don't know what might have happened to little S-Sau…" Deidra sniffled as he gave Kakashi's hand a squeeze of thanks.

Kakashi placed his other hand over Deidara's and gave it a couple taps. "It's alright. Sasuke is an Uchiha remember, tough breed," he chuckled slightly and smiled. Deidara wiped his tears with the back of his arm before getting up to grab the now whistling kettle. "I do need to discuss with Itachi more about how he was found though. Let him know when he wakes please."

Deidara hummed his agreement as he put the water in a kettle to steep the tea. "I'll make you something to eat 'un. You must be famished."

Sakura came through the door, stretching her arms up over her head then cricking her neck to the sides. "Good evening Deidara-sama," she bowed as she greeted the blond, "could I trouble you for some water please?"

"Oh my goodness child, please come sit, take a seat!" Deidara hurried over to Sakura, guiding her towards one of the kitchen chairs. "I'll get you water 'un, and I'm making some food, you like curry?" Deidara opened the fridge, reaching in to grab a bottle of water first to bring to Sakura. He brought the water bottle to Sakura then grabbed one of her hands. "And thank you so much 'un," he sniffled slightly, "for being there for my little S-Sasuke…" He squeezed and patted her hand continuously.

Sakura gave a gentle smile before placing her other hand over Deidara's. "It's okay Deidara-sama. We all stick together and help each other, that's what we do." Deidara sniffled a bit more with a smile and then headed to the fridge to begin making some food.

"Kakashi-san, I have a question." Sakura turned to Kakashi.

He raised a brow at her, indicating she had his attention.

"Forgive me for being… well, forward, Kakashi-san, but there was no way I could not have noticed it, but it's Sasuke-san, his scent was not…" she trailed off as she wrung her hands constantly and her eyes dropped slightly.

"Of alpha?" Kakashi finished her sentence as a loud clang was heard of a pot hitting the floor.

Sakura's eyes looked over at Deidara who was picking up the pot as she cleared her throat. "Y-yes Kakashi-san."

Kakashi released a sigh. "Well, your senses are not wrong Sakura-kun." He then leaned forward, placing his forearms on the table and staring directly into Sakura's eyes. "And because I could not have achieved what we did tonight for Sasuke without you, I trust you fully to explain to you the story behind your now obvious question." Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the intensity of Kakashi's voice and stare. She nodded slightly, indicating she was listening. "But before I begin, you must _fully understand_ that this is confidentiality at its fullest and that the Uchiha clan has every legal right to release any punishment up to and including death should you reveal the information I am about to share to anyone outside this clan. Is that clear?" Kakashi never staggered his voice or eyes as he explained the importance of the situation.

Sakura nodded confidently as she agreed to Kakashi's explanation. She then turned to Deidara who had hesitated in his cooking to watch the interaction. She smiled respectively at Deidara and bowed her head. Deidara nodded his head to her then to Kakashi and turned to continue his cooking. With Deidara's blessing, Kakashi began to explain of Sasuke's omega status and the reasoning as to why he keeps it hidden.

==============XOXOXO============

Quiet. It was very quiet, dark but peaceful. There was no pain, no fear, just a serene type atmosphere. He felt himself floating about. It was an amazing feeling. The weight of your own self being supported by nothing but the air around your body. _Is this what zero gravity would feel like?_ He also felt slow and tired. Thoughts invaded his mind constantly with humming words of _relax, let go, no need to work, relax…._ And he did. Sasuke felt so at peace of no worries, no fear, no pain and let darkness envelope him in warmth.

Itachi sat by Sasuke's bed, running his fingers gently through Sasuke's hair. His black eyes watching Sasuke closely as involuntary muscle twitches happened in various areas on his face. Sasuke had been asleep for two days now, his body slowly but surely healing from all the wounds that littered his body. His skin colour was beginning to return to normal and his breathing had leveled out. Kakashi informed Itachi that Sasuke will wake when his body is ready, but Itachi was impatient. He could feel Sasuke's wolf sense in him and he was almost giddy when he first felt it return. He almost clapped his hands and jumped for joy as soon as his alpha senses could pick up his otouto's wolf. With such good news, Itachi's alpha wakened with force radiating waves of sexual heat into his loins that burned to take his mate. The lustful hunger erupted over any other sense, that left Itachi powerless against his supreme alpha's craving to satisfy the need. His skin prickled with goosebumps as the visions of him carrying his mate into his bed, feeling the heat of his skin, listening to the wanton moans, licking at the sweat gleaming skin, watching his clawed hands leave bright red markings on such smooth skin and feeling weak from witnessing such love and devotion directed right at him from his mate's eyes. Itachi lifted his lips to a soft smile and let out a sigh. He laid his head on the edge of Sasuke's bed and closed his eyes, content on inhaling Sasuke's scent.

Itachi woke to the feeling of weight being put on his shoulders. He opened his eyes, sensing his mate nearby and felt a blanket over his body. Deidara was tucking a blanket around Sasuke's sleeping form, smoothing out the wrinkles and muttering to himself. Itachi sat up, stretching his back and gave a small smile was he watched his mate fuss around Sasuke.

"Kakashi come by yet?"

"Not yet 'un," Deidara stopped over to Itachi's side, stroking Itachi's long hair to smooth it out. "No change from Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn, his wolf is active. Hopefully soon. Any messages regarding any new findings?"

Deidara shook his head with sad eyes. "Hidan and Kisame have headed back to the hunter den, to look for any clues."

Itachi frowned. After Kakashi had explained to him the time frame of the wounds, they were still in the dark about where Sasuke would have been the full two weeks if he wasn't obviously a prisoner of the hunters. They definitely wouldn't have let Sasuke live this long, being he was an Uchiha and considered a valuable prize among them. He was hopeful that Sasuke would remember even though he had gone through such extreme trauma.

"Good morning," Kakashi announced his presence as he walked into the room. "How's the pup doing this morning?" He walked around the side of the bed, putting two fingers on Sasuke's pulse spot and looking at his watch.

"Still same, but not worse," Deidara responded as he stood behind Itachi. "Have you heard any news on your end Kakashi-san?" Deidara squeezed Itachi's shoulders in wait.

Kakashi shook his head. "No news on who may have done this, though it is still under the radar that Sasuke had gone missing. Not even your parents knew. I'm sure that whoever had planned this, doesn't know Sasuke has been found alive. The question is, who would have wanted Sasuke and who would have wanted him dead?" Kakashi took a deep breath. "Hopefully Sasuke will be able to fill in some blanks when he wakes." Kakashi began to examine various areas of Sasuke's body, checking wounds to see how they were heeling and such. "It appears that his body is healing well. Wolf still active?" Kakashi looked up at Itachi.

"Hn," Itachi responded quickly. "Hidan and Kisame are checking out where we found Sasuke. There should be some clues there as to how the hunters had gotten Sasuke or at least who they were working for." Itachi's hackles rose at the thought of hunters harvesting werewolves for money.

Kakashi covered Sasuke, Deidara coming over assisting in tucking in the corners. "I'll take my leave and be back tomorrow. Unless he wakes, call me immediately." He made his way to the door, hesitating as he opened the door. "We will get to the bottom of this Itachi, hang in there." He slipped through the door, closing it quietly behind him.

=========XOXOXO=======

Kyuubi shuffled quietly about the hospital room, hands in his jeans pockets with his eyes looking towards the floor. The soft electronic beeping indicating a heartbeat continued in the background as Kyuubi paced. "It's still chilly out you know," he talked quietly to the other wolf in the room. "But winter is coming to it's end right? Soon spring will be here." The response was that of the soft beeping in the room. "You know the girls are going to want those flower beds ready for planting. I'm not digging them this year, no way, nuh-uh, end of story! If the girls want flowers so bad, tell them to dig them up!" Kyuubi let out a harrumph! "Shit, I know those two will beat the crap outta me if we don't do it…fricken females." Kyuubi stopped pacing a took a seat in a chair by the bed. He gazed softly at Naruto's still form. The only sign of movement was his chest moving up and down under the bed covers. He lightly touched Naruto's covered arm, tapping his fingers lightly upon it. "You know, it's tough trying to carry on a conversation alone….heh…I've never really realized it. You should try it eh…" He glanced up at the ceiling, his fingers unconsciously now rubbing up and down Naruto's arm. "You know that concert is coming up soon…I-I had really hoped you might come, b-but…well, you know," Kyuubi dropped his chin as his eyes watered, threatening to spill. He palmed his forehead, covering his eyes slightly, willing the tears not to fall. "D-dammit Naruto!" Kyuubi blubbered out as he rubbed furiously over his eyes. "T-this wasn't supposed to happen! Fuck!" He stood suddenly, the chair scraping back loudly as it was forced away from him. His shoulders shook slightly as he hiccupped on sobs, forcing them down as best, but losing the battle. "W-why won't you wake…" he whispered, "j-just come on already—we need you," he trialed off as he wiped his eyes, sniffled loudly and gazed upon the sleeping blond whose chest rose up and down, with the soft beeps in the background.

Soft arms came around his midsection and hugged him tight. Kyuubi didn't move as he slowly breathed through the pulses of small sobs. He reached up to the small arms and gave them a tender squeeze. He felt her head rest between his shoulder blades and a slight vibration of comfort as she purred. He took a deep breath and turned himself around to face her.

"Sakura," he whispered as he gathered her into his arms and hugged her tight. They stood that way for several minutes as he inhaled her scent and she rubbed his back soothingly. "Is my shift over?" he teased light heartedly, his face still in her hair. The hands stopped rubbing at the question, hovering over Kyuubi's back. "Aw kiddin…ACK! N-No—no—NO! S-saaa—kraa!" The hands began poking and grabbing at Kyuubi's ribs and waist, her arms squeezing and trapping Kyuubi close, holding him against her as she continued a tickle attack. Kyuubi squirmed between chokes of laughter, his body wiggling between her arms, as he helplessly tried to pry her tickling fingers away. "P-pl—eassss noooo….SAH—kraaa s-stop!" Kyuubi gurgled out between giggles. He finally managed to launch his face into her neck and release a loud and sloppy raspberry on her neck.

"EEK! K-kyuubi!" she shrieked in between giggles as she pushed him away. The two stood breathing heavy, wiping tears from their eyes and chortling while they calmed their heart rates down. Sakura smiled at Kyuubi, her eyes sparkling, "better?"

"Yeah, thanks." Kyuubi grinned widely back at her, as he scratched the back of his head.

"What did you two talk about today?" Sakura asked Kyuubi, as she made her way to Naruto's bed and began smoothing out the wrinkles in the blanket. "I—well, I just don't want to bore him you know? Talking about something you already did." She cleared her throat slightly as she moved up towards Naruto's head, tucking the blanket in around him.

Kyuubi smiled softly as he brought his hands behind his back. "Well you know, tea on Tuesday with the queen, dinner on Sunday with the president and especially eating sushi with the emperor next week," he listed off in a goofy accent while rocking on his heels. "And I really must say, the weather is fabulous in Canada this time of year." Kyuubi drawled out with a goofy pout as he waved his hand about and rolled his eyes.

Sakura stood with her hands on her hips, giving him a teasing glare. "Honestly Kyuubi, always joking around. Naruto knows that the weather in Canada this time of year is simply _not_ fabulous!" She began to giggle as Kyuubi gave her a dramatic gasp, covered his mouth with his hand and widened his eyes.

"Blast-famy woman! How dare you defy me! Off with you!" And with that Kyuubi dramatically flared his arms up and turned around. Sakura grabbed her midsection and began to have a giggle fit. Kyuubi looked over this shoulder and gave her a wink. He turned back towards Naruto's bed and reached out to smooth out non-existent wrinkles. "Ah Sakura, I love you. Don't ever leave." He smiled warmly at her.

Sakura stood up, wiped her tears and gave Kyuubi a return smile. "Hey, I love you. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." She moved to run her hands through Naruto's hair. "And I'm not leaving you either Naruto, you hear me? Hell will freeze over before that happens." She took a seat beside the bed, propped her elbows up on the bed and rested her chin on her hands. She looked at the sleeping blond and began to hum.

Kyuubi took that as his cue to leave and headed out the door. As he closed the door quietly behind him, he heard a raised voice coming from down the hall. He perked his head to hear better and determined it was Tsunade. She sounded angry, annoyed and seriously pissed. Kyuubi quietly moved towards her office, peeking through the partially opened door and saw Tsunade leaning against her desk, phone to her ear.

"How can there be nothing? All of it pointed to there!?" she grumbled loudly into the phone. "Where is he now?" She hesitated, obviously listening for the answer on the other end.

Kyuubi leaned closer to the door, being careful not to be in the light or downwind so Tsunade wouldn't catch his scent.

"Okay…ugh..okay! I get it! Look, just see what he has on him, he could have it in his bag. Check—no, not that – are you even listening?! If it is that important, he must have it—yes, yes, now you're getting it! Bout time!" She stood up straight suddenly and began to move around her desk to the chair as she listened to the other person on the phone. She sat heavily on her chair, bringing her fingers to her temples. "Hmph, I got it—yes. Danzo loves exotic things like that, he always has something to enforce weakness is his prey. Yes—make it so, alright then." Tsunade slammed her phone down on the desk as she released a growl before picking up her phone again. She swiped at it and put it to her ear again. "Kakashi, we know Danzo has the bullets—I need to you to connect with …."

Kyuubi quickly shuffled away from the door and turned to trot down the hospital hall. He had heard enough. _'If Councilor Danzo has silver bullets, then he must have arranged for Naruto to be taken care of! Bastard…lets see you take care of me.'_ Kyuubi broke into a run as soon as he reached the outside hospital doors.


	15. Chapter 15

So... we left our boys in a bit of a predicament eh?

Feel free to vent on me after reviewing this chapter, it may not be what you are hoping for!

 **xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxo**

Stuffing clothing into a backpack, Kyuubi rummaged around his room, grabbing various articles and tossing them into his bag. He grabbed a pen and pad, scribbled a note on it and left it under his pillow. _'Should be well on my way by the time they find that.'_ He slipped his leather jacket on, patted his back pocket to ensure his wallet was there and placed his phone into his inside jacket pocket. He overlooked his room slowly, gave himself a nod, grabbed his bag and headed out his bedroom door.

As he headed down the stairs to the front room, he listened carefully to see if anyone was about. He knew Sakura was still at the hospital and the others should be doing a perimeter check about this time. Certain that nobody was in the house, he headed for the kitchen to make a snack. As he slapped some sandwiches together he heard the front door open. _'Shit! It's too early for them to be back…'_ He quickly threw his bag onto the floor, kicking it under the kitchen table then turned back to making his sandwiches. Nobody would question Kyuubi making food. He was often accused of having a black hole for a stomach.

"Hey," a voice flowed into the kitchen from behind Kyuubi.

"Hey yourself," Kyuubi answered the voice without looking behind him. He knew it was Kakashi by his voice and smell.

"Make me one too?" Kakashi asked with a hint of mirth in his voice. Kyuubi just grunted in response, but grabbed more bread to put together another sandwich. Kakashi tilted his head and raised a brow. _'Odd…he is never one to be so submissive. Must be the situation.'_ Kakashi accepted that explanation and took a seat at the table. His eye watching the back of Kyuubi as he moved about putting sandwiches together.

"Something you need Kakashi?" Kyuubi grunted out without looking at him as he slapped the sandwich onto a plate. _'Can't have him seeing my bag…shit'_. He took the few steps to the table, sliding the plate over to Kakashi none to gently before turning back to the counter to continue making the sandwiches.

"Came by for a free lunch of course," Kakashi teased as he grabbed the now completed sandwich. As he brought to his lips he noticed that Kyuubi didn't retaliate. "How you holding up young' un?"

"Hn," Kyuubi grunted out as he continued slapping sandwiches together.

"So," Kakashi drawled out, "are you planning an outing?" Kakashi tapped his foot against the bag under the table. "I figure with that many sandwiches, you must have a long day ahead of you." Kakashi leaned back in his chair, forgoing the sandwich to cross his arms across his chest. He eyed Kyuubi as he noted the slight hesitation in Kyuubi's sandwich making when he mentioned going on an outing.

"Not your concern Kakashi," Kyuubi growled out while he turned to grab his bag out from under the table. "Just do what your best at and keep your nose out of my business." He shoved the several sandwiches harshly into the bag and turned towards the fridge.

"The pack aware?" Kakashi said calmly with a raised brow. Kyuubi froze while grabbing a bottle of water. "I get the pressure of being second in command while Naruto heals is a lot to take on," Kakashi continued on. "But I never considered you to be the type that would run from that responsibility. If that's what you are doing? Because that's what it looks like."

"Fuck you Kakashi," Kyuubi grunted out while pushing the fridge door closed a little harder than normal. "You don't have a fucking clue what is going on, so leave me the fuck alone." He grabbed a bag of cookies from the cupboard and shoved it in his bag as well.

Kakashi held up his hands in surrender style fashion. "Mah okay. No need to get so upset." He moved to stand. "Let the pack know that the Uchiha clan has found Sasuke." Kyuubi hesitated in his movements. "He was found with hunters and in bad shape, lucky to be alive. He hasn't woken yet but should be soon. Should be able to get some questions answered ne? Anyhow, talk later, thanks for the sandwich." Kakashi gave a two finger salute to Kyuubi and left the kitchen.

Kyuubi could hear Kakashi leaving the house. He ran a hand through his long red hair. _'Holy shit they found Sasuke! Alive! Fuck yeah! Wait till I tell Naru—'_ His good mood faltered instantly. He grabbed his bag and made up his mind, he was going.

=====intermission=====

"Hello otouto," Itachi whispered out as he watched his brother's eyes flutter open.

Sasuke's flickered to where he heard his brother's voice and struggled to focus on him. A surge of emotion washed over him and watered his eyes as she saw Itachi. He made to move his body to his brother but suddenly realized the heaviness of his body and the slight throbbing throughout. He moved to speak but found no sound came from his mouth. Panic began to slip into his mind. He couldn't move, he was in pain, he couldn't speak and mixed with the surge of emotions of seeing his brother, he now couldn't breathe. His eyes widened in fear as his chest began to constrict and he couldn't get in any air in.

Itachi placed his hands on either side of Sasuke's face. "I'm here otouto, relax, it's okay." He rubbed his hands all over his face and started a deep rumble in his chest to calm him. "I'm here, you have some injuries, that's why you can't move well, just relax."

Sasuke's eyes flickered about, his mind full of questions and he hoped Itachi could hear him. He tried to speak again but again nothing. ' _Why can't I speak! Nii-san, please!'_ His mind pushed asked over and over as his eyes were wide with confusion.

"You have been asleep for three days otouto, your body is still healing. Don't push it," Itachi's soothing voice rolled out.

Sasuke stopped trembling as his breathing began to even out, focusing on Itachi's face and feeling his aura surrounding him. The soothing purr from his alpha breached his core and he suddenly was exhausted. He began to blink heavily, trying to fight the sleep, he didn't want lose site of his brother.

"Rest otouto, I'll still be here when you wake," Itachi ran his palm over Sasuke's forehead, through his bangs as the deep purr continued to rumble through his chest.

Feeling the warmth of Itachi roll over him, Sasuke allowed his eyes to close and he drifted to sleep.

Itachi watched as Sasuke's breathing evened out and ran his fingers through his hair a little longer. He felt suddenly felt tired as a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders, as soon as Sasuke woke and appeared to recognize him instantly. He pulled out his phone and sent Kakashi a text, who responded he would arrive within a couple hours. Itachi stood tall and watched his brother sleep until Kakashi arrived.

Kakashi examined Sasuke's exterior from top to bottom while Sasuke slept. "The majority of the wounds are heeled fully, but because of the trauma his body had suffered, such as no water or food for who knows how long, his organs and muscles will take much longer to recover. Judging by the needle marks that were in his hands and inner arms, I suspect that he was given supplements to keep him alive."

 _…There were blurry images invading his space. The feeling of fear washed over him during each image and then it would disappear and sorrow would take its place. As all the images that flashed by, one stood out. Sasuke reached out into the darkness, trying to reach the brightest image that radiated warmth, safety and love. He felt as if it that image was tugging at him the hardest just to reach it. He wanted to get to it, fuck he damn well needed it! As if it was a safe trusting place to be and he felt his heart aching to get to it. He felt breathless as he ran towards the blurry image, his legs were heavy and not responding as they normally would. Sasuke could feel the hurt, the outrage rising within him as he struggled to grasp at the bright figure. Sasuke cried out as the brighter image then faded away leaving him empty, cold and in a void…_

Sasuke woke behind closed eyes when he could hear the familiar muffled voices breaching through the darkness. _'Where am I? Who's that? Hello?'_ he called out. The muffled voices continued. _'How come they aren't answering? What's going on?'_ The voices sounded familiar and safe. A soft brush of warm emotion rubbed all around him. His wolf! It was there. He relaxed and succumbed to the warmth and allowed himself to become surrounded by the serene feeling that his wolf brought him. The muffled voices continued to breach through the darkness and he then fought to open his heavy eyelids, wanting to see the familiar muffled voices.

"Welcome back Sasuke-kun," Kakashi spoke softly. "I'm here to see how you are doing with your healing," he explained while watching Sasuke trying to bring him into focus. "I'll tell you at each time what I am going to do and what instrument I will use, if I do use one okay?" Kakashi was familiar with traumatized wolves and knew just how to talk to help them remain calm. He waited for Sasuke to acknowledge what he was saying.

When Sasuke nodded his head, Kakashi moved about him slowly, checking his lungs, heart, throat, eyes and muscle control to name a few. He spoke throughout the whole examination on where he was looking, what he was touching and so on. He was very patient with Sasuke and when he was done, he made some notes in his book and began putting his few instruments away.

"Now, his voice is going to take time to come back. His vocal cords were injured and require more time to repair since the body only heals vital areas faster. Such as liver, heart, etc." Kakashi waved his hand about while explaining. "As suspected his muscle mass has depleted to a condition that is going to require therapy when he is stronger. The rest of his vital organs are weak but getting steadily stronger. Soft foods and broth for a few days. Slowly introduce firmer foods and of course drink lots of liquids. Don't force yourself to hard, baby steps only." He gave Sasuke a smile behind his mask, his eyes crinkling up was the sign of his smile. "Sakura-chan is a whiz at making food pills that are packed with vitamins and nutrients that will help out. I want you to take one every day." He pulled out a bag and handed it to Itachi. "I'll come see you in a few days for another examination, unless I get a call to come earlier. And please, don't hesitate to call me." He gave a stern look to Itachi then smiled as he turned to look at Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes were slow blinking again and Kakashi could see that Sasuke's eyelids were half-mast and slowly falling. "Sleep when you feel it Sasuke, you need your rest too." He turned to Itachi as soon as Sasuke's eyes slipped shut and motioned with his hand to follow him out of the room.

Itachi closed the door softly behind them and followed Kakashi to the kitchen area. "He hasn't said anything regarding what happened Kakashi," Itachi spoke first.

Kakashi held his hand up to halt Itachi. "His mind and wolf are no where near ready for that. The trauma they experienced, it wouldn't surprise me if it has been suppressed at the moment. The mind protects the host, and if that means suppressing and shutting down areas that could cause harm, it will do that. Best to just ensure his physical health gets on track to healing and let him start speaking or asking questions first."

Itachi bowed his head. "Thank you Kakashi, I am indebted to you for all you have done."

"It's alright Itachi." Kakashi dropped his hand on Itachi's shoulder and giving him a squeeze. "You can thank me by letting me know if Sasuke remembers anything that could help out with Naruto's situation."

Itachi quickly lifted his head. He had completely forgotten about the Uzumaki clan. "What news of Naruto's condition?" he asked softly.

Kakashi shook his head with a sigh. "Well, he's still in a coma, but at least he is off the support machines. He's breathing on his own and his body is slowly healing from the trauma of the poison. Until he wakes, the pack won't know what kind of mental damage there could be." Kakashi grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. "It is still a mystery who did this, but I have a team working on it. Text me if there is anything." Kakashi then gave Itachi another pat on the shoulder before slipping out the door.

Itachi walked into Sasuke's room at dinner time, carrying a tray with soup and a thermos of tea. He made his way to the side of Sasuke's bed, settling the tray down on the side table and taking a seat. He watched as his brother slowly started to wake, "time for dinner otouto." Sasuke's eyes blinked slowly as he adjusted his head to look at Itachi. "I'm going to help you sit up, we have to get some real food into you. Well, it's broth, but you know what I mean." Itachi gave Sasuke a small smile as he moved to help Sasuke sit up.

=========XOXOXOXO=========

 _…it was the same darkness…the blurred images flashing through having him feel weak, scared, terrified, defeated and then there was the one. The one that begged for him to come to it. The warmth that emanated from it called like a siren to Sasuke and his wolf. He ran, he was always running, but couldn't reach it. The bright warm light would continuously shrink away and until it was a pinprick in the darkness and snubbed to nothing, leaving Sasuke feeling crushed and broken with sorrow until he would wake…Sasuke was finding he was hating these continuous dreams_

Sasuke was annoyed. Annoyed as fuck. He hated feeling like a weak pup as his muscles always trembled and nobody was allowing him to lift a finger it seemed. For the last few days he had been babied to the point that he was going to go crazy. Deidara was the worst out of them all. Always tucking, smoothing, feeding and touching. Kakashi was going to come today to do an examination to see how he was faring and be damned, he wasn't going to allow the pack to fuss over him anymore. He had to do something! He sat on the edge of the bed, his legs dangling on the edge as he fisted the bed covers. He had been stretching and exercising his leg muscles continuously over the last few days and he was confident he could walk fine today. He slid slowly off the bed, putting his bare feet on the floor. He tested his legs by slowly testing each leg with the weight of his body. _'So far so good,'_ he thought to himself as he held one hand on the bed and other arm outstretched to balance himself.

"Sasuke! What are you doing!" A shriek came from the door and thankfully Sasuke had a good grip on the bed or he may have fell from the force of when he whipped his head around. Deidara came running to Sasuke's side, grabbing a hold of Sasuke's outstretched hands. "Oh my god, why didn't you wait for me 'un!"

Sasuke snorted out and started slapping his hand at Deidara, trying to make him go away. He didn't need help dammit! "Nuh-o!" Sasuke squeaked out as he continued to slap at Deidara who was still trying to fuss over him. His voice box was still healing and Sasuke would now and then grunt out squeaks of words.

"Oh baby, its okay, I'll help you," Deidara began to help Sasuke sit back on the bed. Sasuke sat down hard and expelled a large gasp of air, that clearly sounded that Sasuke was irritated. Just then the door opened again and Kakashi came in, Itachi following behind.

"Sasuke-kun, so good to see you sitting up!" Kakashi exclaimed as he strode over to the bed. "Lets see how you are doing hm?" Kakashi began to check Sasuke's throat, vitals and muscle responses. After several minutes and listening to Kakashi hum and haw, he stood up straight and grabbed his bag. "Well Sasuke, it seems you are healing along nicely. Don't push your voice box though. That's one muscle that doesn't need to be irritated or else it will take longer. It requires as much silence as possible. As for the rest of your muscles, keep stretching and exercising to get them back into shape!" With that Sasuke pulled on Kakashi's arm and brought himself to stand before him. "Well look at that, " Kakashi smiled as he held himself steady as Sasuke used him to balance himself. "Soon you should have no troubles dancing Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke snorted at him and moved one of his legs to the side, the other one slowly following behind. He fisted Kakashi's shirt firmly as he struggled to step.

"Sasuke! Stop! You aren't strong enough yet," Itachi growled out as he moved to stand in front of Sasuke. Kakashi held his other arm up and halted Itachi. Itachi growled towards Kakashi.

Kakashi held himself steady as Sasuke shuffled around his body, pulling slightly on Kakashi's arm as he tried to walk away from him and towards the other side of the room. "You know Itachi is right Sasuke, you are much to weak to start walking already," Kakashi said softly. Sasuke snorted again and took more steps while holding firmly to one of Kakashi's arms. Kakashi slowly shuffled along with Sasuke, ensuring his balance held. Deidara covered his mouth with his hands as he watched Sasuke shakily walk the ten or so feet across the room to the dresser. Kakashi looked over his shoulder and waved his hand over to Deidara and Itachi, indicating it was okay. Sasuke reached out to the dresser, and when he touched it, he brought both his arms to the top of the dresser and leaned slightly forward.

Sasuke panted hard as he leaned on his arms over the dresser. He inwardly smirked, feeling like he took on the world. _'Take that! Not ready huh?! My ass I'm not ready!'_ He shifted his feet to turn around and lean his butt against the dresser. Now he just needed to walk back. He smirked at his brother who stood at the other end of the room with Deidara. _'I'll show you!'_ Sasuke suddenly stuck his tongue out towards Itachi who's eyes widened with surprise. Sasuke then grabbed Kakashi's one arm as he started his walk back to his bed.

When he got back to the bed, he held the smirk at his brother and slipped onto the edge. He felt himself panting hard and was that sweat on his forehead? He looked up at Itachi as he wiggled himself back into his bed and gave a glare. "S-e-e!" Sasuke squeaked out at him. He gave a firm nod too, showing Itachi that he shouldn't be looked at as weak! He laid back and worked on getting his breath back. He continued to keep the cold annoyed look at his now smirking brother before he felt his lids drooping. _'I'm just gonna have a short nap now…'_ He watched as his brother softened his smile at him and wiped a towel across his brow. "Sleep sweet otouto…" was the last thing Sasuke heard before he drifted into sleep.

Once Sasuke was asleep Itachi turned to glare at Kakashi. "What the hell. He's still to weak to take chances like that!" he hissed at him.

"Oh yes, by all means, keep telling him he's too weak." Kakashi brushed off Itachi as he gathered his bag. "Ensure he takes his food pills and you know as well as I do he isn't going to take anyone treating him like a weak pup. Just make sure that he isn't alone when he tries to test himself." Itachi frowned and crossed his arms at Kakashi. Kakashi sighed and glanced over at the now sleeping Sasuke. "You know he's a stubborn one and he's going to test himself. He will know his limits, I'm sure of it. I'll be back in a couple days." He nodded at Itachi and Deidara before leaving the room.

Deidara started tucking the blankets in and around Sasuke. He leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Sleep sweet pup," he whispered. He gave Itachi a smile before heading out of the room. Itachi watched Sasuke sleep while standing at the foot of his bed. He felt his alpha reach over and nudge at Sasuke's wolf. Itachi smiled as the wolf responded as it should. Itachi took a chair and sat alongside the bed, grabbing Sasuke's hand and giving it a squeeze. Sasuke's breaths were deep and even, indicating a deep sleep. Itachi wished he could ask what happened. Who took him? Where was he? What could he remember of who he saw? Did he see anyone? Itachi sighed again. He knew he had to wait, but damn how hard it was.

 _…blurred scenes continued to push past him, sometimes there were muffled noises and other times, silence. He couldn't grasp what or where he was. The blurry visions were often colourless and he felt at times he could feel himself straining to see, feel, hear and other times his heart rate sped up with fear._ _'Stop!' Sasuke heard himself screaming. 'Let me see! Please!' he pleaded. He could see his hand outstretched, his fingers trembling to reach for a bright obscured figure that radiated light and warmth. His body and wolf yearned for it as he struggled to pull himself closure to the figure. He could almost touch it, almost see it clearly, until the brightness swallowed into itself and burst into a small star blast of light, turning the area to darkness. And Sasuke screamed into the dark as the agony of the loss overtook him._

Sasuke's eyes squinted, his breath quickened and a small whimper escaped his nose. Itachi tilted his head in closer to the sleeping Sasuke to see, noting the disruption in his sleep. _'What dreams are plaguing your mind otouto?'_ Itachi thought to himself as he brought a palm to Sasuke's forehead. He began to softly caress Sasuke's forehead, allowing his alpha to release a calming purr. Sasuke's body visible relaxed, he stopped whimpering and his breaths evened out.

"Troubles un?" Deidara whispered softly as he came up behind Itachi.

"He dreams, though I don't think they are pleasant," Itachi murmured out. "Is he remembering where he was? What was done? Fuck I wish I could see," he trailed off in a whisper.

Deidara wrapped his arms around Itachi's shoulders, laying soft kisses on his temple. "He has us hun to help him through it, be patient."

"Hn," Itachi responded as he let his mate comfort him. His hope was that Sasuke didn't get lost in the darkness, he couldn't let that happen again.

=====intermission====

 _…he was running, running again towards the blurred figures, set on catching the one that was the warmest, safest and beckoning him. As he ran, he felt things grabbing at him, trying to hold him back and he grit his teeth, still determined to reach his goal. 'Fucking leave me alone!' he screamed out to the darkness, he felt his wolf rear itself in anger towards the unseen forces. He was almost there, it was inches away, he almost started crying as his fingers just finally grasped the tail end of the image…_

Sasuke's eyes flew open as he gasped for breath. Tears began to fall from his eyes as the image became so clear and bombarded his mind with the memory. The familiar burning lump in his throat rose up and his chest scorched with such a pain, his wolf tremored within him, clawed its way to the top and released a heartbreaking wail. Sasuke arched his back as his lips fell open and the wail released into the room. Behind his closed eyes was the image of Naruto being shot and falling to the ground, playing over and over. His lifeless body lying in the grass and Sasuke unable to do anything about it. Sobs wracked his body as he hiccupped breaths. His hands pulled at the covers on his chest, trying to stop the pain in his heart and his screams continued to release.

The door bust open with Itachi and Deidara rushing in. Itachi gathered Sasuke into his arms as best he could. "Sasuke! Sasuke! What's—" Itachi struggled trying to calm him. Sasuke continued to howl out and his body convulsed through the sobs. As Itachi made to hold him steady, Sasuke began to beat on Itachi's chest and kick out his feet. "Sasuke! Please! Tell me!" Itachi cried out as he managed to hug Sasuke close to his chest, releasing a purr from his alpha. Sasuke's fists began to settle against Itachi's chest instead of hitting him, clutching at the fabric as his sobs began to lesson as he dug his face into Itachi's chest. Deidara came behind Sasuke's back and hugged Itachi and Sasuke together while releasing his own omega purr. The three sat together while Itachi stroked Sasuke's hair and until Sasuke stopped shaking from the sobs. Only sniffles and whimpers were now heard. "Otouto, please, what's wrong?" Itachi gently spoke.

Sasuke took a shuttering breath. "N-Naru—to… I-I…" he struggled to speak the words. His throat was on fire from his irritated voice box. The wailing howls and screams that were released from his agony left their damage. "I-I let him— _die_!" he squeaked out and his body trembled with a sob, "I—just – my f-fault…my fault," his voice came out as a cracked whisper. "B-because of m-me! Naruto—all me… dead …" his voice was now barely a whisper and his breathing began to quicken, his body began to shudder and he began to psychically push away from Itachi. His hands started to grab at his own clothes on his chest as his eyes dilated and flickered all around. His breaths were short and staggered.

Itachi grabbed Sasuke's face, watching his eyes. "Shh, Sasuke shh." He looked up to Deidara who was struggling to hold Sasuke steady. "He's hyperventilating, hold him." Itachi brought his forehead to Sasuke's and spoke softly. "Otouto, breath with me, hear my counting, one, two…" Itachi remained holding Sasuke's face, softly speaking to him until Sasuke's breathing was under control. When Sasuke fell limp in Deidara's arms from exhaustion, Itachi sighed out a breath of relief.

"It would suggest that it would appear Sasuke had seen something to believe Naruto is dead," Itachi whispered. He moved off the bed and with Deidara's help, managed to get Sasuke tucked back into bed. He ran his hand across Sasuke's forehead in a soothing matter before turning to Deidara. "Call Kakashi, let him know that I need to meet with him as soon as possible about the shooting." Deidara nodded and headed out of the bedroom. Itachi turned back to a sleeping Sasuke. _'If he thinks Naruto's dead, he must have seen something. I need to call Gaara, there more be more to this.'_ Itachi turned on his heel and quietly left the room.

=======XOXOXOXO======

Hinata was making a meal in the kitchen when Sakura came in. "Good evening Hinata, what's cookin?" Sakura asked with a smile.

"Oh just some simple curry stir fry, nothing to extravagant," Hinata responded from the stove. "It's almost ready, so grab the dishes. Kiba and Kyuubi should be in shortly as well."

Sakura hummed in agreement as she moved about the kitchen grabbing dishes for dinner and putting them on the table. As she grabbed the water jug, Kiba came wandering in. She smiled at him as he nodded at her. The atmosphere in the kitchen was quiet. It had been that way for awhile and Sakura mentally sighed. Even though the pack was thankful that he was still alive, it wasn't the same at the house without Naruto's charm, smiles, loudness and laughter.

As the three sat for dinner, they dished up and started eating. They kept their chatter to a minimum. It was then Hinata spoke up about Kyuubi. It wasn't unusual for him to miss dinner with the pack, but usually he would inform the pack when he wasn't going to be around for dinner. "Did Kyuubi tell anyone why he isn't here for dinner?" She gathered up her dishes, taking them to dishwasher.

"He didn't mention anything to me when I met up with him at the hospital earlier today," Sakura stated as she continued to eat. "Kiba? You see or hear from him?"

Kiba stopped chewing briefly as he seemed to think about it. He swallowed after some time, "I haven't talked to him since yesterday evening. He was already gone when I got up this morning and he didn't mention anything about not being around for dinner." Kiba continue to shovel more food into his mouth.

"I don't know if he had to work. He didn't call or leave a note," Hinata added as she leaned against the counter. "Not like him to not say something though." She shrugged her shoulders and headed upstairs to take a bath.

Sakura gathered up her own dishes and sighed. She grabbed the one empty clean dish and put it away in the cupboard. As she put her dishes in the dishwasher she felt arms circle around her and squeeze. She stood and squeezed the arms that hugged her before turning around and returning the hug. "Are you going to see him tonight?" she asked Kiba who had his nose in her hair.

"Yeah," he responded quietly and took a deep breath in her hair. "I—I just... just wish this was over," he whispered harshly into her hair. He squeezed harder and rubbed his cheek against her hair.

Sakura squeezed Kiba harder. "I know, but have faith. He's a fighter, always has been, that—that loud mouthed stubborn baka, for as long as I've known him." She gave a small chuckle as she brought her hand up and ran her fingers through Kiba's shaggy hair. "You know he'll get mad if he gets ignored for too long, so get going." She pushed Kiba back keeping him at arm's length and then brushed his bangs back with a smile.

Kiba tilted his head and gave Sakura a big grin before pulling Sakura in and gave her a lick on her cheek. "Thanks _socks,_ " he chuckled as he ducked.

"BAKA! I hate that name!" She swung at Kiba only to miss as he chuckled out and ran from the room. She put her hands on her hips as she shook her head. She smiled sadly as she went about getting Kiba's dishes and putting them in the dishwasher, as she heard Kiba leave the house.

Kiba paced in the small hospital room as his arms were animatedly waving about. "Well you know, that's what has been going down at the station. I can't believe the freshmen though. Really! The way their eyes widen with awe…you would think they never seen—,"

"S-o loud—d-dog b-breath…" wheezed a breathy voice.

Kiba stopped in his tracks, his body frozen, his breath held as he slowly turned to see who said that.

"S-speechless— * _cough_ * … h-how odd…" The wheezy voice coughed through a little laugh.

"Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed as he ran to the side of the hospital bed. "Holy fuck! Your awake! Oh my god! What—what … are you—no no, should I—umm no that's not it! ARGH what do I do!?" Kiba pulled his hair as he wailed through words and jumped in one spot. "I-I need to call…no! I need to go…NO, shit! Naruto! Oh my god!" Kiba leaned up against the bed, his eyes brimming with tears. "I don't know if I should hug you, or—or fuck! I don't know!"

"W-water would be nice," Naruto wheezed out.

"Ah fuck yeah!" Kiba reached for a cup and straw, pouring a bit of water in it before lowering the straw to a level Naruto could sip on it. Naruto's cracked lips opened slightly before managing to get around the straw. "Slowly now, don't choke," Kiba whispered. When Naruto had his sip, Kiba put the cup to the side and pushed the call button. Naruto licked his dry lips and coughed slightly. He started panting lightly as well. "Fuck … fuck Naruto … I—I," Kiba stuttered on his words and his voice cracked. He pulled his hand up to his eyes and covered them, a slight sob escaped his lips.

Naruto turned his head to look at Kiba. He brought his hand up to Kiba's face and lightly touched his cheeks with his fingertips. "H-hey Kibs? It's okay…" Naruto whispered.

Kiba grabbed Naruto's hand, slapping it up to his face and began to sob, squeezing his hand. "S-so scared…N-Naru…you were almost—"

"But I'm not. So-k now," Naruto whispered out as he tried to console Kiba who was clenching his hand as his tears overflowed. "So-k, so-k…" Naruto continued to try and comfort Kiba. He just woke up but fuck now he felt so tired. His eyelids blinked heavily as he tried to focus on Kiba still crying against his hand. "Kibs…w-where am I? W-what happ—" Naruto breathed out. It was tiring to talk. _'Fuck…so tired…'_

Kiba snorted in a big sniffle as he brought his now red rimmed eyes up to look at Naruto. "Hospi—" he started to say but was cut off as the doors barged open hard. The busty blond came stomping in, her stride strong and true with Shizune scrambling behind her.

Naruto's eyes shifted heavily towards the noise. "B-bah—" he stuttered out in a whisper. The sleep was winning, he fought it, but his eyes were so heavy…

"Brat!" Tsunade breathed out as firmly as she could, but there was no bite to it. She stopped at the side of his bed and brought her palm to Naruto's forehead. She smiled at feeling no fever and brought out a hand light and maneuvered it to focus on Naruto's eyes. He squinted and whimpered slightly as she watched the dilation of his pupils before standing back up. She watched as Naruto fought to close his eyes. "It's okay omagosan. I'm here, sleep," she whispered softly and ran her fingers through his hair softly. He blinked heavily a few more times before he fell into sleep. She snapped her fingers and Shizune stepped next to her, handing her the flip chart with pen. Tsunade quickly made some notes on the sheets and flipped it back to Shizune. Her eyes flicked to Kiba. "You need to leave," she firmly noted.

Kiba's head snapped up to her. "What? No fucking way!" Kiba hissed at her through clenched teeth. "If you think I'm leav—"

"Shut it mutt!" Tsunade snapped at him. Kiba clapped his jaw shut but still glared at her. "Shizune and I need to exam him thoroughly now that he has woken," she hissed. "Now, you can head home and let the others know that Naruto's woken and come back _later,"_ she stressed the word out, "tomorrow. He's going to be extremely groggy for the next day or so, and we need to completely assess his condition. Best to just go home and get a good night sleep." Tsunade harrumphed, her eyes squinted hard at him and her lips pinched hard into a frown as she crossed her arms.

Kiba's mouth opened but no sound came out as Tsunade pointed at him, giving him a silent warning. Kiba shut his mouth again with a snap and let out a huff. "Fine," Kiba sighed, defeated. He gathered up his things and stopped beside the bed. Grabbing Naruto's hand, he pulled it up to his lips and kissed his palm. He nodded at Tsunade and left quietly.

Tsunade turned to Shizune. "Okay, lets get on this while he's sleeping and have some answers before the pack returns tomorrow." Shizune nodded firmly and began to gather the instruments. Tsunade turned to the sleeping blond. "Welcome back brat," she whispered with a smile.

Kiba pulled up to the cottage, he was exhausted, yet numb, yet so incredibly emotional and just so happy. He didn't even know how he made it back home. Moving himself out of his truck, he blindly made it to the door. His head hung slightly, his eyes were still red rimmed from the tears and he slipped into the house. As he shut the door, he leaned back on the door taking a deep breath. He heard the TV on in the other room, the lights flickering in the darkness. Someone was still up, he should tell them the news. After slipping his shoes off, he made his way to the other room.

Sakura and Hinata looked to him coming through the entrance and gasped at the site. "Kiba! Oh my god! What—" Hinata was the first to say something. Both girls noticed his red rimmed eyes and sullen expression. Hinata began to get up from the couch, quickly moving towards him.

Sakura covered her one hand with her mouth, her eyes wide and shimmering with tears. "O-oh god, don't tell me…" Sakura started shaking her head as a few tears began to escape. She then started to get up, her eyes not leaving Kiba's.

Hinata walked straight up to the now frozen Kiba and grabbed his cheeks. "Kiba. Talk to me. What happened," she spoke firmly now. "Is Naruto—?" she forced out with a choked whisper. "Kiba?" She kept her eyes on his while holding his face. Sakura came up beside Hinata, her palm still covering her lips.

Kiba finally focused on Hinata. His eyes began to well up with tears again. "It's Naruto….he," he took a breath. Both girls held their breath with their eyes wide. "He – he woke up tonight," Kiba whispered out.

Both girls gasped in breaths before squealing with excitement. Hinata grabbed Kiba and pulled him into her for hugs. Sakura jumped up and down with her hands on Kiba and Hinata. Tears rolled down their cheeks as Kiba realized what was going on. He then grabbed Hinata and spun her around. "Yes! He's awake!" Kiba cried out while spinning Hinata. He hugged her again and then pulled Sakura in too who was crying just as hard. They all jumped, squealing, crying until they finally all just stood hugging each other in one bunch with tears hitting the floor.

Hinata pulled away to look at the two others. "Oh my god Kiba, when can we see him?!" She asked excitedly.

Kiba scratched at his chest with a cheeky grin. "Well, lets sit down and I'll tell ya about it first," he explained as he waved to the couch. They all took their seats as Kiba began to talk about what happened and how they couldn't go until at least tomorrow.

"We need to tell Kyuubi!" Sakura exclaimed! "Wait till he hears! But he hasn't come home yet, that I know of." Sakura looked to Hinata who shook her head noting she had not seen him. "I'll check his room." Sakura stood and headed upstairs to the bedrooms. As she opened his bedroom, she noted that it appeared the same as always. Slightly messy, a few clothes littered the floor, the bed unmade and desk had a few papers strewn across it. She moved about and checked the en suite, noting that it was just as littered with his items as his bedroom was. She sighed and went to his bed. Her inner OCD decided to at least make the bed for him, cause she felt it was a nice feeling to crawl into a neatly made bed at night. She pulled the sheets and covers to the corners and moved the pillows so the sheet could be pulled tight under them. A small sheet of paper was exposed when the pillows were removed. Curious she grabbed at the folded paper and saw that a simple word was written on the outside. " _GUYS"_ Sakura huffed, leave it to him to just write it like that. She opened up the folded piece and read the scrawls inside.

Kiba and Hinata were now sitting on the couch, Kiba answering any questions that Hinata had asked about Naruto. Though Kiba's information was slight, he was able to tell her about how Naruto knew who he was and appeared to be almost normal. They turned to the entrance when Sakura slowly walked in. Tear tracks were evident on her face, her bottom lip tucked in between her teeth and she appeared to struggle with what she was trying to say. Hinata ran up to her, tipping her chin up to making Sakura look at her.

"Sakura, what is it?" Hinata spoke first as her eyes flickered between Sakura's green ones.

Sakura held up the small paper in her clenched fist. "Kyuubi, he left us." She sniffled loudly as Hinata led her to the couch. She sat beside Kiba, who wrapped an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "He left a letter. He said he had some clues to who was behind Naruto's situation. H-he said not to worry," she sniffled again, shoving the note towards Hinata. "And he mentioned to not come looking for him, it wouldn't be safe." Sakura now sobbed as she leaned against Kiba. Kiba hugged her close as Sakura cried.

Hinata let some tears fall as she read Kyuubi's note. Then she began to get angry. _'Dammit Kyuubi, you and your impatience!'_ She folded the note then and put it on the coffee table. "He must have found something to leave so suddenly," she spoke as she put her hand on Sakura's knee. "I just hope he stays safe. I don't know how Naruto will take it when we tell him," she sighed as she leaned up against Sakura, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze.

The next afternoon, Hinata, Kiba and Sakura headed up to the hospital elevator, holding their breath as well as holding flowers. Sakura and Hinata stopped at a flower shop to pick up some black eyed susans, one of Naruto's favorite flowers, for his room. The sun was shining brightly in the hallways and the threesome couldn't help but smile while walking closer towards Naruto's room. Tsunade stepped out of the room just as they got there and held her hand up to stop the trio.

"Hold it right there you three, I need to talk to you first," she spoke firmly as she clicked the door behind her quietly. "Don't complain, follow me," she turned down the corridor, leaving no room for argument and expected them to follow. The three obeyed their previous respected alpha and followed her down the hallway.

 _He ran through the dark corridors, trying to reach the light at the end. The walls were moving, slithering like snakes would in grass and he shuddered. Something was pulling him to that light, as if he wouldn't be able to survive unless he reached it. But no matter how fast he ran, it never got closer. He could hear something, someone calling out, the voice sounding mumbled but familiar. The tone, it sounded hurt…sad, scared.. but he couldn't make the words out. And it was coming from all sides, as if wanting him to stop. But the light, the light pulled at him…beckoning him hard…as almost promising that all bad things would go away. He was getting closer, but the light was fading. He felt himself begin to panic. He needed to reach it… he was almost there. The light enclosed on itself and disappeared like a door closing and he felt himself scream out in anguish and frustration._

Naruto felt himself wake, his heart was thumping fast, but he didn't open his eyes. He racked his mind, trying to remember the dream that woke him. The memory of the dream was fading fast into a fog and no matter what he couldn't grasp it. He began to feel frustrated as the need to remember picked at him hard. He sighed in defeat and let the fog slip through his fingers. He felt warm fingers wrap around his wrist and he turned his head to the feeling.

"It's alright, its only me," a soft voice spoke out through the hazy darkness of Naruto's sleep.

He began to force his lids open, blinking a few times to see the form near his bed come into focus. "S-shizune," he whispered and smiled at her.

"Good morning there. I noticed your heart rate was a little up, so I was coming to check. Were you dreaming?" she asked as she released his wrist then grabbed the clipboard.

Naruto scrunched his brows. "I-I don't –don't remember?" Naruto answered in a question. He looked up to Shizune's soft face and she smiled at him. He frowned slightly as he tried to recall what he may have been dreaming about.

"Don't worry Naruto-san, not everyone can remember their dreams." She patted his hand, "did you want a drink of water?" He nodded yes to her and she assisted him with the straw and cup.

"Now listen kids, I need you all to understand where Naruto is at mentally and physically," Tsunade began to explain when the three entered her office, shutting the door behind them. She turned and motioned for them to sit as she sat behind her desk. "Shizune and I went over him physically to find that his body is extremely weak, being as it just spent practically nonstop two weeks fighting out all the toxins from the silver bullet. His muscles have lost a substantial amount of mass and will require him to do some light physical therapy. His internal organs are thankfully healthy since his body worked hard to get them flushed and working." She tapped a pen on her desk for a moment, she appeared to be thinking about her next choice of words. "We preformed the standard mentality tests on him. Naturally he was a little surprised at the date, considering he'd been in a coma, but he doesn't appear to have any serious memory loss. But," she gave them all a glare, "keep in mind we did not ask him about what he could remember the day he was shot. We only ask questions about family, friends, parents, etc. He did ask how he ended up in the hospital, but I told him to wait until we were done testing. When you see him, and I want this to be clear, _do not_ bombard him with questions. His mind has been through enough and he needs to be brought back to his daily life slowly. Do I make myself clear?" She sent them all a pointed look. They all nodded slowly, holding each other's hands. She leaned back on her chair, crossing her arms in the process. "When he asks how he got here, you can tell him, but slowly and one at a time. Watch him, don't let him get into a panic or hyperventilate. Remember, slow is the key here." She looked into each of their eyes, ensuring they understood. She smiled a smug look at them, "okay, your dismissed, you can go see him." She waved her hand at them, dismissing them. The three rose dutifully and quietly, and all bowed before leaving the office.

When the door closed, she grabbed her cell phone, swiping at a number. Holding it up to her ear, she waited for the receiver to answer. "Kakashi, good news, I need you here stat." She listened to the other end. "I'm at the hospital, come when you can, we need to share our information." Her head nodded while listening. "Come directly to my office, see you in a few." She hung up the phone and grabbed a folder, flipping it open to write some notes.

Naruto felt them all come to his room before anyone spoke. He opened his eyes and felt and emotional onslaught upon seeing his pack members. Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes as he cracked out a word, "g-guys…" He began to sob and he didn't know why, as he felt his pack crowd around him and lean over to embrace him. He could feel all of them starting to cry and mutter out words of comfort. For several minutes they all huddled together on that hospital bed, finally being able to release all the pent-up worries that accumulated over the past couple weeks.

The pack gathered some extra chairs to surround Naruto's bed after their tearful reunion. Hinata and Sakura continued to dry their tears, holding some cups of tea that Kiba gratefully got for them. Naruto looked at the three before speaking, "Where's Kyuubi?" The three looked at each other quickly. Naruto lifted a brow and gave them each a questioning look.

"Well, umm…you see Naru—," Kiba started to speak. "He took off the other day, leaving a note saying he found some clues regarding the—the shooting…" Kiba trailed off, the thought of the shooting still stung his emotions.

"Shooting?" Naruto asked, eyes lifting in question. "Who was shot?" Naruto adjusted his hospital bed to sit up straighter as he looked to each member who just stared at him wide eyed. "Well come on, who was it?" Irritation laced his breathy strained voice at the silence of his pack members.

"N-Naruto…" Hinata stuttered out but suddenly looked away when Naruto whipped his head to look at her, his eyes glaring showing his irritation.

"Naruto," Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand to direct his attention to her, "do you really not know?" Naruto tilted his head with confusion showing in his eyes. "It was you." She held his eyes steady while squeezing his hand.

Naruto felt the breath suddenly leave his chest, his jaw slacking open as his eyes went to each pack member, confirming the news. He couldn't form any words. He mentally nudged his alpha wolf who nudged a reply, noting it was still there and then he focused on his body. _'Yes…there…a slight painful area in his chest.'_ He brought his hand up to his forehead, looking at his body that was hidden under covers. He rubbed moved his fingers to rub at the bridge on his nose as he considered the news. He then lifted his head and stared at them, "…w-who did—" his question faded out.

"We were kinda hoping you could tell us," Hinata responded softly. Naruto looked over to her. "The only lead we have is that possibly Sasuke-kun was with you." She grabbed Naruto's other hand.

Naruto turned towards her with his eyes wide in question, "With—who?"

======XOXOXOXO=====

Kyuubi hopped off a bus with his backpack and pulled his jacket tighter around his neck. The air was still cold and he could see his puffs of breath. He was glad he brought his gloves and scarf. He looked around the area, noting there wasn't much around other than a few bars and shady looking hotels. He spent three days on buses and really, he could use a bed no matter where it was. He started making his way down the street.

He passed beggars and street walkers, all winking at him and inviting him over, he just smirked and kept walking. His stomach gave a growl and he figured that perhaps he should get a bite to eat. Looking ahead he noticed a bar and decided to see if they served something. Bar food was better than no food, was his moto tonight, thus he turned and made his way into the bar.

Inside it was the same as any other establishment. The lights were dimmed, several tables scattered throughout with the same type of peoples sitting at them. Some were at the bar, talking with anothers beside them or looking into their drink with either worry or sorrow. Music coming from the jukebox at this time was a twangy type of country. Kyuubi smirked to himself before moving to a lone seat situated at the far end of the bar. Making himself heard, he grabbed the bartender's attention and nodded. The tall blue haired woman sauntered her way in his direction, her eyes golden but firm that held him in his seat until she arrived. Her facial expression showed she didn't put up with any bullshit, and Kyuubi gulped. _'What a dominate woman, gruff!'_ he mentally voiced. His alpha purred in acknowledgment and immediately identified an omega. He flashed a smile at the woman.

"Good evening, would like a menu and the house draft." He kept his smile and eyes on the blue haired woman. She reached over to the side of the bar, her golden eyes not leaving his, before pulling out a piece of paper and slamming it in front of him. Kyuubi almost jumped from the tension being thrown at him. She placed her hand on the one paged menu and leaned in closer to Kyuubi's face. "Kitchen closes in 30, so make it quick," she whispered harshly at him before standing up and heading to the draft taps. Kyuubi just watched her figure walk to the other end of the bar before releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding. _'Wow, what a woman!'_ He then grabbed the one paged menu and fanned himself quickly before reading it.

When the blue haired woman returned with his draft, he put on his best smile again and told her his order. She said nothing as she took the menu and headed to the other end of the bar. He watched her figure closely, as his alpha was rumbling up some emotions within his groin and he let it. _'He was still a man after all,'_ he snorted to himself. He looked about the bar, finding that the night was still early, therefore the bar was still relatively empty. Usually bars and clubs didn't start hopping till around 11 at night. His fingers slid up and down his glass as he waited for his food. When it arrived, he thanked the blue haired woman with his biggest smile and started to eat. He watched her make her way around other patrons and chat with some of the older guys. _'Probably regulars,'_ he noted. He failed to notice as he chomped on his last few bites, that a man sat next to him and propped his body sideways to lean against the bar and stare directly at him. Kyuubi then shifted his eyes to side.

"You got some nerve staring at her while you are sitting here," the man snarled at Kyuubi. Kyuubi just turned his head slightly to look at the man. "Got something to say then punk?" The man snarled out again, his eyes narrowing in on Kyuubi.

Kyuubi put down his food, grabbed his napkin to wipe his fingers and then turned to stare the older man in the face. The older man's hair was a radiant red and his eyes were a dull purple. His glare at Kyuubi looked to be the best he could do and Kyuubi inwardly scoffed.

"Leave 'em alone Nagato," a velvet voice spoke up from behind Kyuubi. It was the blue haired bartender, making her way towards them. "He hasn't done anything that is remotely inappropriate," she scoffed out and placed a drink by the man known as Nagato. "And if you keep scaring off new customers, we'll never make any money!" She pointed her finger at the older man and then slapped him lightly on the head.

"Dammit woman!" the man named Nagato sputtered out as he ducked his head away from the blue haired bartender, "you gonna put me in the hospital with this abuse!" He then started shooing at her with his hand and she snorted at him and turned around, assisting a customer at the other end of the bar. The man then looked towards Kyuubi, who was grinning at him. Nagato gave Kyuubi a pointed stare, "don't you be getting any ideas now, that's my woman!" he snorted out at Kyuubi before taking a sip of the drink.

"You wish!" her voice yelled out from down at the other end of the bar. Kyuubi looked over and saw the blue haired bartender flipping the bird in his direction. Kyuubi couldn't help but snicker as he heard Nagato sputter out something he couldn't understand. He shook his head and reached for his unfinished food.

"Names Nagato punk," Nagato leaned into the bar again, his purple eyes focusing on Kyuubi.

Kyuubi turned towards the man. "Kyuubi, pleasure." He nodded his head as he took another bite of food.

"Haven't seen you around before, new in town?" Nagato pushed.

Kyuubi nodded and swallowed, "Yup, exploring what's out there, looking for work and perhaps a new place to settle." He smiled at Nagato before continuing. "Got my training and was ready to move on," he then winked at Nagato. Nagato grinned back.

"Well damn, I'm impressed! Now a days with kids, it's tough to get them to leave the _'pack'_ after training. It's like their scared to get their feet wet!" Nagato slapped a hand on Kyuubi's shoulder.

Kyuubi chewed his food and nodded. He could tell Nagato was a beta just by his scent, which in turn he knew Nagato could tell what he was as well. The training he brought up was what a lower alpha will go through when in a pack with its own higher alpha, such as the Uzumaki pack. When a lower alpha, usually younger, was fit enough to head out and start his or her own pack, the lead alpha would chase the lower alpha out. Sometimes it was quick and easy, other times it could lead to a battle and in the worst case scenario, one was dead. Centuries of pack instincts is hard to overcome sometimes but Kyuubi knew that Naruto would never ask or force Kyuubi to leave the pack, but he knew there were still some packs that carried out that tradition.

Kyuubi relaxed into conversation with Nagato for the next while. He learned that his pack consisted of himself, Konan and another beta named Yahiko and they owned this bar. He frowned then when he spoke of Yahiko. He explained that Yahiko was off doing his own thing after they had a huge argument regarding the bar and their pack. Apparently Nagato couldn't agree with what Yahiko was suggesting and he stormed off, going on about how it was up to him. Nagato and Konan hadn't seen or heard from him since. They can't afford to leave the bar and go look for him, so they patiently wait for him to return. Kyuubi then patted the older beta's shoulder to show he sympathized.

A small group of men then entered the bar and made their way to a darkened corner. Nagato stiffened his posture as he watched the group. He excused himself from Kyuubi and made his way to the group of men. He nodded to each one and made his way back to the bar. Konan met him at the counter and leaned in close to him. She nodded a few times as he spoke then moved away and started grabbing bottles of liquor. Nagato turned and leaned his back against the bar, looking tired. Kyuubi watched on with interest while sipping his beer. His eyes subtly looked to the corner where the men were sitting. They had on dark coloured suits and appeared well styled. A couple of them lit cigarettes and they spoke quietly to each other. Kyuubi watched as Nagato filled up a tray with various drinks and carried it to the table with the men. He placed all their drinks on the table and nodded towards the group before walking back to the bar. He spoke a few words to Konan and she nodded before turning around and left the bar. He watched her disappear around the corner, away from him, and he guessed that is where their office or whatever was. Nagato stepped his way up to the bar and made his way to over to Kyuubi.

"Want another?" Nagato asked, nodding his head towards Kyuubi's now empty draft glass. Kyuubi nodded in agreement towards him. "Nice to see a new face in here," Nagato gave Kyuubi a slight smile before moving to fill up another draft. "Kinda brings a bit of sunshine when I got a new face to talk to." Nagato placed another draft on the counter for Kyuubi and winked at him. "Sure hope to see more of yah," he called out as he moved to the other end of the bar to help other customers.

Kyuubi grabbed his draft and brought it up to his lips. He came to this town hearing some rumors about connections being made here for trafficking and selling of silver. It was a long shot, but it was a start. _'Well this is an interesting mystery,'_ he thought as his eyes flickered towards the group of suits in the corner, who were smoking, drinking and talking to each other. He then looked at a tired Nagato, who made his way about the bar making drinks. Konan hadn't returned. He lifted his brow in question. He decided he may have to stick around to see if he may have found clues.


	16. Chapter 16

Welcome to yet another chapter of our boys. Thanks to those of you who hung in there this long! If you are familiar with my two fics, know that sometimes one over takes the other at times. They are like siblings! Fighting for my attention at times and sometimes one wins over the other!

Anyhow, do enjoy, feel free to leave a comment or something, to let me know that you were here :D

xxooxxooxxooxx

Itachi sat in Sasuke's room, book in hand and watching Sasuke sleep. Sasuke was emotionally spent and exhausted. After his panic attack of waking and informing of Naruto's death, Sasuke slipped into a deep sleep. After updating Kakashi and leaving a message for Gaara, Itachi informed Deidara that he would inform Sasuke gently when he woke. It was near morning and Sasuke had been asleep a solid for 10 hours. Itachi rose as he felt the tremor of the omega wolf. It called out to the alpha, requesting comfort for it felt emotional pain. Itachi frowned sadly while looking down at his little brother, who's nose crinkled up slightly and his eyes flickered behind his closed eyelids. He placed a hand on Sasuke's forehead and lightly ran his palm back over the blue black hair.

"Are you in there otouto?" Itachi whispered as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He watched Sasuke's eyelids flutter slightly and a slight moan released from Sasuke's nose. Itachi waiting patiently as Sasuke began to wake.

"Good morning otouto. It's good to see you," Itachi whispered out as Sasuke began to open his eyes. Sasuke said nothing as he blinked several times and moved his head about to look about the room. "Don't stress your voice, it was irritated severely last night and will need time again to heal. Did you want to sit up? Bathroom walk? Deidara will most likely be here with your breakfast soon, so if you want to sit up, wash up, I will help you," he smiled slightly while holding his hand out. Sasuke said nothing as his dull eyes looked up at him. _'I hope I haven't lost you again otouto.'_ "Come, I'll help."

Deidara came into the room carrying a tray with toast and tea awhile later. "Good morning sunshine! I brought breakfast for you!" He smiled towards Sasuke who was now sitting up in his bed getting settled into his position. He looked at Deidara with sadness in his eyes but his lips pinched tight. "Oh baby, I know you can't talk, so I brought you a notepad!" Deidara placed the serving tray on Sasuke's lap. "Now eat up and as soon as you're done, Itachi-sama and I need to talk to you." Sasuke's eyes gave no expression towards both of them before he dropped his eyes and began to poke at his breakfast.

Sasuke's eyes stayed focused on Itachi as he explained the details of the past few weeks. Starting at where Sasuke went missing, the hospital situation with Naruto then with where they had found Sasuke. Sasuke inwardly felt overwhelmed with emotions that he could not fathom how to sort them and instead clenched his teeth to hold back and keep a neutral expression. But he couldn't stop the tremors from going through his body as his wolf released such an alleviation from learning that the alpha wasn't dead.

"Otouto, do you remember what you had seen?" Itachi questioned softly. He didn't want Sasuke to have another panic attack. So far the only thing he knew was Sasuke believed he was responsible for Naruto's death. He only informed Sasuke that Naruto was in a coma and poisoned. He wanted to know what Sasuke knew. "Use your note pad if you remember anything otouto."

Sasuke flipped the note pad a few times, making no move to write on it. Itachi noted his body trembling and could feel the omega wolf express yearning and relief, after learning the blond alpha was alive. Sasuke pinched his lips together and held up the note pad with one word written: " _shot_ ". Itachi nodded slightly, "do you recall who did it or any other details?" Sasuke frowned then shook his head no.

Sasuke huffed loudly. He felt frustrated with himself as the only thing he remembered clearly was leaving one part of the university and heading to the library. Seeing Haku and then fogginess. The only clear flash he had was hearing the pop of a gun and Naruto's body falling to the ground. He didn't know who did it and what had lead to them being in that situation. Sasuke's next memory was waking in his house, in extreme pain, unable to move and speak with a deep rooted fear he couldn't explain why he felt that way. He looked up at Itachi before scribbling a note. " _how long been since shooting?"_

"About three weeks. You were missing for two of those weeks otouto, and this past week you have been healing," Itachi responded to Sasuke's written question. "We were hoping you could remember something, considering where we found you. We don't know how you ended up there. We were so angry otouto, we killed those hunters instantly." Itachi brought a hand up to Sasuke's cheek. "We were all so scared we were going to lose you," Itachi whispered as he cupped Sasuke's cheek.

Sasuke leaned into the touch. He could feel his wolf relax as the alpha soothed them. Sasuke brought his hand up to pat Itachi's. He gave a look of, _'it's okay.'_ before laying back down on the bed. He was suddenly very tired. With an emotional roller coaster morning , learning of the one memory, then his brother updating him on Naruto's condition and now a full stomach, Sasuke could barely keep his eyes open. Itachi rose and moved the blanket.

"Have a nap and I will see to you afterwards," Itachi whispered as Sasuke closed his eyes immediately with sleep overtaking him shortly there after. Hopefully he would sleep more soundly, Itachi thought to himself as he left the room.

Itachi sat at the kitchen table, sipping tea when Kakashi made his way in. He settled at the table and Deidara poured him a tea.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked as he sipped his tea. Itachi went on to explain the details of when and how Sasuke woke, what Itachi explained to Sasuke and what only thing Sasuke remembered. Kakashi sucked on his bottom lip now and then, his eyes shifting from Itachi to his tea, as he listened to the story. When Itachi was finished, he hummed slightly as he brought his folded hands together under his chin. "So, at least one mystery is explained, they were together when both incidents happened. Sasuke saw Naruto shot, so he must have seen who did it. You did mention that you and your pack picked up Sai's scent as well at that location. I have every reason to list him as our prime suspect then. It would make sense that he would know what silver could do to a wolf. And with his unhealthy obsession with Sasuke...hmmm."

Itachi and Deidara both started growling at the same time, both thinking about Sai being the possible shooter. Kakashi tapped his finger on his chin, not fazed at the two upset wolves in the room.

"We find Sai, we find answers then," Itachi gruffed out, his fist clenching open and closed. Deidara hummed in agreement as he folded his arms across this chest, his teeth clenching slightly. "Finding Sai could be a challenge, as he only appears when he is harassing Sasuke." Itachi leaned back against his chair now tapping his fingers on the table. "We have never been able to prove that Sai was or is affiliated with Orochimaru either."

"Naruto may have an answer for that. He may have seen who shot him and could verify for us if it was Sai. Unfortunately..." Kakashi trailed off.

"And what news of Naruto Kakashi?" Deidara quickly asked.

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh as he moved his lips into a frown. "Good news and bad news," he started, staring at his tea cup and trailing his finger around the edge. "Naruto woke up a few days ago. I would have to say around the same time that Sasuke did. His body is healing successfully I'm told. His mentality appears normal, he will require some light physical therapy to get his muscles back into order, since the poison weakened all his major muscle areas. No real long term or permanent physical damage."

"And the bad news un?" Deidara squeezed Itachi's hand as he kept his eyes on Kakashi.

"He has amnesia."

======intermission=====

Naruto sat in his hospital bed, bored beyond belief. It had been a few days since he woke up, learned of how he was shot by an unknown person and that Kyuubi was off chasing something due to his usual quick unplanned decisions. No one had any idea what triggered him to make such a hasty decision. Kyuubi had even turned off his phone data, thus the pack was unable to inform him of the turn of events. Tsunade had informed him and the pack together, that he was suffering from, _hopefully,_ a mild form of dissociative amnesia due to the trauma that his body went through, starting from when the bullet entered his body. The shock was so great, his body instantly shut down to support only the most vital organs. A natural thing bodies do to survive. Tsunade explained that his memories should return with time in bits and pieces. There are not many cases of amnesia recorded, therefore Tsunade has only what the medical books say for humans and is making several notes on Naruto's condition for her own medical journals.

His physical body was recovering quickly, ' _but not fast enough,'_ he whined to himself _._ He slept on and off throughout the past few days, with his pack coming by to visit on a regular basis. He asked questions, but got limited answers. The pack was informed to not overwhelm him and he was getting frustrated. He needed answers dammit! For one, who the hell shot him? Where the hell was he when he got shot? He recalls being at university, but he doesn't know if that memory was just before it happened, or was from weeks before it happened or what! His memories were just that, memories with no indication when they were, what time of year, or what month. How he wished his brain had time and date stamp options of placing the date and time in the corner of his memories. There were blanks in his current memories, at least he thought, and he found himself gripping the sheets on a regular basis when he woke from the frustrations that he felt. He couldn't understand why he was waking so angry, frustrated, aggravated, annoyed and sometimes out of breath. Tsunade mentioned that he may be dreaming, but what was he dreaming of, he couldn't remember the dreams and when he did recall something, it disappeared as quickly as smoke on a breeze. She would just ruffle his hair, or squeeze his hand and told him to be patient.

His wolf was not much help. It was constantly on edge, yearning for something, yet Naruto couldn't figure out what. He wasn't allowed to shift until Tsunade gave him a clean bill of health. He is to continue on with his physical therapy to get strength back into his muscles and then most likely he would be allowed to go home. He slapped his fist into the other hand, ' _need to get a move on getting strong so I can get the hell outta dodge!'_ He moved to the edge of the bed, ready to put himself to the test.

"Knock knock, can I come in?" a voice called from the hospital door. Dark brown eyes peered into the room followed by a smile. "Oh! Naruto! What are you doing?" shrieked the brunette man. He came rushing into the room and stood at Naruto's side. "Were you planning on walking on your own young man?" The man gave Naruto a glare and crossed his arms over his chest, huffing out a noise of disagreement.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto sputtered out. "What are you doing here? Well—I mean its n-nice your here! B-but really, I didn't expect you to be here!" Naruto released a smile towards Iruka as he held his hand out for a shake.

"Answer my question first! If you are trying to walk on your own without assistance, I'll file a report to have you under 24 hour surveillance!" Iruka threatened as he shook his finger towards him with a stern look on his face.

"Ah man, come on Iruka-sensei! I'm so ready to get going! I'm way-way-wasting away!" Naruto threw his arms up for emphasis while flopping back onto the bed. "I'm going to get rusty here Iruka-sensei," Naruto moaned out as he tried to lift his feet up. "You hear it squeaking? Huh Huh?" Naruto again whined as he rolled his feet about while they were outstretched from the bed.

Iruka continued to glare at him and tap his foot. Naruto widened his eyes, stuck his bottom lip out dramatically and wiggled it into a pout. The two stared at each other, Naruto pretending to pout and Iruka trying to give a scolding look. Before long Iruka could hold it anymore and was the first to chuckle. "You little scamp, come here and give me a hug. I'm so glad your awake!" Iruka held his arms out and Naruto lifted himself up to be embraced. "You scared me so much," Iruka whispered into Naruto's hair as he squeezed harder. "I d-don't know what I..." Iruka whispered off and sniffled.

"Erk! I-I-ru-ka-ah... ah-ah...air," Naruto chocked out as Iruka squeezed him hard.

Iruka pulled back suddenly. "Oh I'm sorry," he wiped his eyes quickly with his palm. "I-I'm so glad your on the mend is all," he chocked out through sniffles. He grabbed Naruto's face and squeezed his cheeks. "But if you ever," he wiggled his palms on Naruto's cheeks, making Naruto's lips squeeze out, "scare me like that again, I-I.. .h I don't know!" Iruka smiled and gave Naruto's cheeks one more wiggle with his palms before standing back. He grabbed a tissue to wipe his eyes and blow his nose before swallowing and focusing back on Naruto, who was just wide eyed shocked staring at Iruka. Iruka took a calming breath, "now, I am here also on official business Naruto." He moved to grab a chair, placing it by the bed, where Naruto was sitting. "I am here also as your psychotherapist. Tsunade has informed me of your condition, and part of your healing is yes, physical therapy, but your mind needs treatment too. Make sense?"

Naruto just stared at Iruka for a few moments before slumping his shoulders and dropping his eyes. "I'm screwed up aren't I Iruka-sensei?" Naruto whispered out, sounding defeated.

"Oh Naruto, why would you think that? You are in no way screwed up." Iruka put a hand on Naruto's knee that was bent off the bed. "Your mind has been hurt, and like your muscles, it needs time to heal and exercise as well. But you know your mind can't do push ups and sit ups like regular muscles!" Iruka tried to put a bit of humor in his explanation, seeing Naruto so defeated hurt his heart. Naruto let out a long sigh, not sounding convinced. Iruka squeezed Naruto's knee before sitting back up in his chair. "Our sessions will start a couple times a week on the days that you are not doing physical therapy. As you progress, the sessions will get longer and more frequent. The goal is to not overdue it, I mean it." Naruto nodded, noting that he understood, but still wouldn't lift his head up. "Okay, today is an introduction to what we are going to be doing. We can get started if you are ready?" Iruka dipped his head down a little to try and see Naruto's eyes. Naruto nodded slightly in agreement and slipped his body back to the head of the bed, slipping his legs with Iruka's help under the covers. Iruka gave a soft smile, placed his clipboard on his lap and began talking.

=====XOXOXOXO===

Kyuubi leaned over, balancing his cue and taking aim. The cue slid forward quickly, punching the cue ball to shoot across the velvet and slam into the racked set. A crack was heard and several coloured cue balls shot off in all directions. He stood up straight and gave a carnal grin. He loved the sound the billiard balls made in a good break. He surveyed the table before moving into another position to make a shot.

He had been coming to the small bar on a regular basis now. He really enjoyed Konan and Nagato as they bantered with each other, or with him and their occasional chats. He was learning more about the two, and he had to admit he was getting a soft spot for them. His curiosity was getting the best of him regarding the group of men that attended about once a week to the same table. Nagato's demure changed and Konan disappeared. Kyuubi noticed, but would not ask. He wasn't in a position to bring it up in conversation— _yet._ Instead he entertained himself getting to know the locals and playing pool. Many of the patrons were wolves, as he suspected, since their kind often kept to their own kind. Bars, pubs, dance clubs were a common business in many species.

As he continued his movement around the pool table, the men in suits appeared. ' _Hmm...it's an off day for them to be here. Wonder what the special occasion is?'_ Kyuubi gave an eye flicker in their general direction before focusing on the pool table once again. He leaned over the table to make his shot when he noticed movement in his peripheral vision. One of the suits was showing interest in him and strolling over.

Kyuubi made like he didn't notice the gray suit and continued with his billiard shooting. He slid the pool cue through his fingers a few times before cracking it forward into the cue ball. It slammed into a coloured billiard ball, sending it straight into a pocket. A low whistle was heard, which had Kyuubi turning to see the gray suited form, leaning against the far end of the billiard table.

"You got a clear straight shot there buddy. Interested in a wager?" the man smirked slightly towards him.

Kyuubi shrugged and focused on chalking up the end of the cue, "sure, what-ev's. What's the low? I'm not exactly flush."

The man in the gray suit hummed quietly and shoved a hand in his pocket, pulling out a few bills. "How bout five a drop?"

Kyuubi blew across the top of the cue, a small cloud of blue dust scattered. "Sure, I can do that. Rack em up."

After a couple games, the man in the gray started to laugh more with Kyuubi. Asking him a little more personal questions. Kyuubi kept them brief and boring. The most common story, how he was done training and out exploring. The most plausible reasoning in the werewolf world. The gray suit slapped Kyuubi's shoulder after handing over a few bills and sat back at the shadowed table with the others. Several times this happened over the next couple weeks. The same gray suited man, now known as Sakon, would come seek him out if Kyuubi was in the bar. At first it was for a few more billiard games, then moved to darts and now Sakon had grown sure enough to introduce Kyuubi to his buddies.

Kyuubi walked behind Sakon to the corner where the others were drinking and smoking. There was a thicker blue haze in that corner from the tobacco, Kyuubi scrunched his nose up subtly. He stood near the table, his eyes expressing no emotion other than seriousness, his lips pinched tight.

"So Kyuubi, this is Jirobo and Kidomaru. My teammates." Sakon gave a smirk towards Kyuubi.

"Hn, pleasure," Kyuubi breathed out. He didn't want to appear a threat nor did he want to appear intimidated. He played neutral, as if he was a simple nobody from a land far away and really didn't keep tabs on anything political or whatnot. The classic all brawn and no brain type.

The two others just gave a slight nod. "Come, sit Kyuubi." Sakon invited and sat down in one of the chairs, pulling at the one empty one. Kyuubi nodded and took the seat. Nagato came over shortly afterwards, bringing Kyuubi a drink. He gave a nod and headed back towards the bar.

"Seems like you got the place here wrapped," Sakon snickered when he took a sip of his own drink. "Lone betas are too easy to win over. But you know that already I'm sure, eh Kyuubi?"

Kyuubi gave a shrug and grunted out a huff before taking a drink. Inside he was seething at the arrogant young alpha. The other two were alphas as well, with their scents reeking authority and demanding submission. Kyuubi wondered what type of training they were receiving in order to expel such intimidating scents.

"I've considered running this show here, but then it's too boring. I need something with more pizzazz ya know! The low lifes that come here have nothing going for em." He slapped Jirobo's shoulder as he laughed. Jirobo gave a chuckle at the comment. "Also, the low down here is a good cover."

Kyuubi perked at this but didn't show it. _'Cover for what?'_

"Sakon," Kidomaru suddenly growled a warning towards him. "Watch it!"

"Ah don't worry. Kyuubi's on the ball. He's out seeking a new life from his nothing life!" He leaned over and slapped Kyuubi's knee. "Besides, we could use another good alpha in the crew. What you say Kyuubi? Need a job?"

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow in question towards him, his drink hovering in midair to his lips. "Doing what exactly?" he asked quietly.

He leaned closer to Kyuubi, "shipping and receiving. But," he held up his finger emphasizing his point. "You gotta pass some inspections first." He gave a grin that looked dubious. He then waved his hand about, "just some background checks, nothing serious you know."

"Sakon, what the hell? You know what happened last time idiot," Kidomaru hissed out. Jirobo nodded his head and hummed in agreement.

"So what, Kyuubi needs a break. He's fresh and I think he's got what it takes." Sakon folded his arms and huffed. "Good solid alphas are always needed. What say you Kyuubi? Interested?"

"Meh, dunno." Kyuubi gave a nonchalant answer as he shrugged. He took a large gulp of his drink. "Doesn't sound interesting, kinda dull." Kyuubi kept any kind of emotion hidden. He was certain that this crew only wanted brawn and definitely no brain type workers.

Sakon slapped a hand on Kyuubi's shoulder. "Don't knock it till ya try it man! We gotta get to work, so finish your drink and I'll take ya down."

Kyuubi gave him a bored look and finished his drink before moving to follow the three alphas. He knew where they were going in the bar, but had only ever seen them head to the back area where Konan always disappeared and never returned. He stole a glance at Nagato at the bar who quickly glanced at him then away. Kyuubi felt a twang of guilt as Nagato appeared to have a look of sadness on his face as he continued to put together a drink for a customer. Kyuubi swallowed hard the large ball of guilt before making his way with the three alphas through a door behind the end of the bar. _'Here goes nothing...'_

Kyuubi walked through the first door behind the others to find himself in a long hallway that lead to another door. Once they went through the second door, he was surprised that they appeared in a larger room that had two sets of doors and a third lone door on the other wall. The room was nothing special, it had gray walls, some decorative red details around the ceiling and the two doors were a deep mahogany colour, carved with swirls. Kyuubi continued to give an impassive face as he followed the three. Sakon opened one of the doors and waved the other two before him. Kyuubi walked up when Sakon waved him to come closer.

"Okay, now stick beside me. Don't touch nothing, don't open your mouth unless you are asked directly a question. Got it?" Sakon whispered loudly. "We came through the staff door, by the way, so don't talk to the customers either." Kyuubi grunted his acknowledgment before Sakon slipped through the door, Kyuubi following behind. A double stair well went down, the stairs covered with a deep rouge colored carpet, the walls rounded up and around the stairs, small intricate lights tucked into the ceiling to cast a soft glow. Red with gold trim tassels hung from various areas of the ceiling, matching the gold and red trim walls and stair banister. Kyuubi took in the design, _'Hmph, the serpent dragons, leading the way down, sign of power and wealth. Curious...'_

The stairs ended to a much larger area, with black sheet walls erected in various ways to guide persons around the room. The red carpet on the floor, leading between the black sheet walls, an areas where several chairs were set up facing one way and finally up to a stage. Several different types of people were wandering or standing in the area, dressed sharp and chattering in low voices. Kyuubi could see that there were more solid walls set up behind the stage and he instantly knew the situation. _'Underground market territory.'_ He and his wolf growled internally, as the stories their kind grew up with about these places were not pleasant. Parents would use the threat of sending their kids to auction to scare them into behaving. There was a reason that this type of _entertainment_ was held in secure places. All to often the selling of exotic things were highly illegal. Kyuubi kept his face placid and continued to stick beside Sakon.

The trio walked past the several sharply dressed patrons and headed for a break in the curtains near the stage. As they walked through the curtain, Kyuubi took a final glance around. There was another area with several articles placed on tables, with numbers listed at each one, and enough room to wander between the tables for persons to view. Two burly guards stood on either end of the tables, obvious what they were there for. Kyuubi was sure he saw some torture devices on one table and he just growled with his wolf in anger. He had seen enough photos in books and heard enough stories to know exactly that is what those items were. He made a mental note that he would be sure to assist on working with a vigilante group to stop these types of _sales._

On the other side of the curtain, the area was a tad darker and smaller. There were stairs that lead up to the stage, hidden by curtains. A narrow short corridor ran the length of the back of the stage and turned to another opened area. Kyuubi's eyes widened at the several sized cages located in an obvious holding area. Several creatures were housed in the various different sized cages and were of all species. Kyuubi ground his teeth together as he even saw small cubs, werewolf children, huddled in the corners of their cages. He kept his glancing to a minimum as he walked behind Sakon and the others. They appeared to be heading further into the back of the staging area.

They finally came up to an area with a couple doors. Sakon went to one and knocked. Kyuubi was certain he heard a command to enter, and Sakon lead the group in. Kyuubi stood right next to Sakon as they all bowed to the man situated behind a large desk. Several monitors were mounted to the side, showing all areas from the entrance to where they were now.

"I brought the one that I was informing you of master," Sakon spoke from his bow. "I believe he would be a good asset to our team."

The older man glanced up slightly, his dark eyes focusing on Kyuubi, who still was in a low bow. "Rise. Lets get a good look at you." The voice was rough and sounded like this person smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Kyuubi stood up slowly, his jaw firm, his eyes set forward past the elderly man's head in a show of respect. "A young alpha hmm," the elder man hummed in approval as he leaned back in this creaking office chair. "A fine looking specimen you have located Sakon-kun, definitely he looks to be a perfect fit for your crew." The elderly man brought his folded fingers up to his chin, a slight grin cracked on his face as his glinted eyes took in Kyuubi's form. "Tell me young alpha, where is it you come from?"

"A territory almost 3000 miles away...master," Kyuubi had never called anyone in his life master, and he almost growled but held his gaze forward. "I have traveled many weeks to get as far from there as possible, as the head alpha had made it clear I was to fight or leave." He stopped there, wondering if he should explain further.

"How interesting young alpha. What are your plans then?" the elderly man purred out.

"To perhaps find my own pack, make some cubs and pass on my genes."

The old man chuckled at his answer. "Well young alpha, that sounds like a promising goal. Tell me young alpha, what pack did you hail from?"

"Wagarashi master." Kyuubi knew that the Wagarashi clan was virtually no more, due to the greed of the clan leaders a few decades ago. More worried about power and control, than the safety of their clan members. Hopefully the old man wasn't more knowledgeable of that particular clan than Kyuubi was. He did know that the any remaining clan members were actually last known to be over 3000 miles away, on the other side of the continent practically. "With all due respect master, I would rather begin a clan of my own without the Wagarashi name to it." Kyuubi decided to add this point across in hopes he pulled it off.

The older man eyed him carefully. He appeared to be considering Kyuubi a little more closer. "Well young alpha. I'm willing to give you a trial period with these croonies." He nodded towards Sakon and the others. "They will explain their duties to you. Should I find that you have mislead me, there will be serious consequences that I can assure you, you will be lucky to come out alive. Do I make myself clear?" The older man's eyes glared hard and cold, his hands folded under this chin and his lips tight into a frown.

Kyuubi bowed towards the older man, "thank you master for allowing me to serve you." He waited until the older man gave the order that they were dismissed before rising and leaving with Sakon.

"Dude! I knew the boss would like ya! Come now, let me show you what we are in charge of."

Sakon then lead Kyuubi back out into the areas as he explained how he and group transport goods from wherever to here, _the_ _auction house_. Apparently this was one of the main ones in the territory. Kyuubi kept himself from clenching his fists and knocking the group into next week, miraculously enough. He was enraged to learn that there were many gatherings like this. As they walked between the cages, Kyuubi saw Konan grooming a young cub. She was petting the cub gently as she pulled a comb through it's hair. The cubs face was riddled with fear, as the little cubs eyes were wide, watery and fuzzy black ears were flat back. Kyuubi could see the tear tracks from the cub as it trembled in fear. Kyuubi only glanced at Konan briefly, as she glanced at him she then turned her gaze away quickly, a guilty look apparent on her face. He struggled to keep his wolf from breaking free, its anger apparent at the situation that was going on here. He took in some deep breaths and continued his tour with the three.

=======XOXOXO=====

Two weeks had passed and Sasuke was finally pleased with his physical progress. He was practically back to normal physical capacity, but has to remind himself to take it slow on slopes and stairs. His voice was almost fully healed, yet he was reminded constantly to not overwork his voice and continue to drink healing tea. His memory of what happened, unfortunately, was still not there. He shook himself of the disappointment and focused on his healing as he worked the weights on his arms and legs. It was the one thing that kept his mind occupied during the day. Often he would think of Naruto and his healing progress, and of course hoped the best for him silently to himself. His wolf was pleased to know that the blond alpha had not perished and spent many times reminding him of the times they had spent together. Sasuke, the proud omega who hid behind an alpha status, snuffed his wolf on occasion to smarten up. But Sasuke was still irritated on the fact that finding out who shot the blond alpha was still a mystery. Itachi refused to share any information regarding the blond alpha other than he was taking long to recover in the hospital due to the poisoning. Therefore no answers were available.

Sasuke ground his teeth together in frustration. If only he could just remember! The aggravation of being frustrated in himself was topping and almost ready to boil over. Finishing up his reps, wiping the sweat from his brow, he decided he was finished with his session and went to have a shower.

After his hot steamy shower, getting dressed in something comfortable, Sasuke headed down the stairs to the sitting room to find Itachi talking with Kakashi.

"Tsunade has asked us to attend her office to go over some information. Can you do this now?" Kakashi asked Itachi, who was sitting drinking coffee. Sasuke raised a brow, ' _Itachi rarely drinks coffee, unless he's seriously stressed,'_ Sasuke thought to himself. Sasuke noted the deep dark circles under Itachi's eyes and Sasuke frowned. He did not like seeing his brother looking so run down and tired.

"Yes I will accompany you," Itachi responded tiredly.

"I will go with you," Sasuke whispered out as he entered the room.

"Sasuke, I don't think it's such a good idea," Itachi sighed out. Even his argument sounded tired.

"How can it not be a good idea? Am I not part of this pack?" Sasuke whispered harshly out, frowning at Itachi and folding his arms, showing his seriousness of the matter.

Itachi rubbed at the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes briefly and taking a deep breath. "Sasuke," his voice gave a warning but certainly held no bite to it.

"Hn, I'm going with you. Don't treat me like some invalid nii-san," Sasuke hissed back through his teeth. His throat starting burning and he knew that he should slow down on his speaking but he was just so irritated!

"Well then, lets get going then," Kakashi spoke up quickly. "I'll meet you there!" He turned towards the door and stopped at Sasuke, putting a hand on his shoulder. Dark eyes glared slightly at the older man. Kakashi just smiled, "good to see you on the mend

Sasuke." Kakashi gave Sasuke's shoulder a couple pats then slipped out the door.

"Well then, it best we do not hesitate. You are still not well enough to drive otouto," Itachi said in his no nonsense voice as he rose to leave the room. "Meet us at the car, I'm going to inform the others." Sasuke nodded and went to get ready.

Itachi, Deidara and Sasuke made their way through the main hospital sliding doors. Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the smell. He was never found of the many scents that were presented in a hospital and he wondered how other creatures could work in the place. So many scents of chemicals, species, sick humans and death. He stayed close to Itachi as it would seem Itachi knew exactly where to go. After some walking, an elevator ride and a long walk down a quiet corridor that appeared to not have an overwhelming smell of human but of other creatures, Sasuke wondered if the hospital wing they were in only catered to the supernatural. Itachi and Deidara appeared to not be fazed by the hospital wing and came to an office door, stopping and knocking gently. A sharp voice called out from behind the door to come in and the party of three entered to find Kakashi and Gaara already in the office. Sasuke nodded towards Gaara, giving him his acknowledgment before looking over to see Lady Tsunade behind a large burgundy wooden desk.

"Sasuke," Gaara acknowledged towards Sasuke, nodding his head.

"Tsunade-sama," Itachi spoke as he nodded towards her. Deidara and Sasuke nodding as well towards her. Tsunade nodded towards the pack before waving her hand to a seat on the one side of the room. Itachi and Deidara made their way towards the seats as Sasuke took to standing next to Itachi's right.

"I am pleased to see you on the mend Sasuke-kun. Kakashi has been keeping me informed of your progress," Tsunade spoke to Sasuke first. Sasuke nodded. "I trust that Kakashi has been ensuring that you are receiving the best possible care, but you are always welcome to approach me with any, and I do mean any, questions at all, little omega." She winked at Sasuke with a small smile.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. What was she implying? How did she know? Sasuke's mind began to fly through a dozen questions and a slightly panicked feeling.

"Oh calm down young one!" Tsunade slapped her hand on the desk, grabbing Sasuke's attention. "I could smell you right away, blockers or not! I wasn't born yesterday you know. Now there is one side of me that wonders why you would try to hide your omega status." Sasuke's eyes widened as he stepped back slightly. Tsunade held up a hand, "but, don't worry, it's none of my business and I respect whatever reasoning you have to do so, therefore, your secret is safe with me." She smiled warmly as Sasuke appeared to relax. Itachi visibly relaxed right along with Sasuke. "Now, lets get down to business shall we?"

Gaara started. "As you know, Danzo attends my region to consult with higher political figures mainly on financial gain. Of course the areas of financial gain include land, overtaking smaller successful businesses, expanding his own political and financial power and then there is," Gaara hesitated, "exotic species. He keeps his interest in exotic species quiet though. It was extremely difficult to identify any involvement, but luckily I have someone with me that is, somewhat better at getting the information. I was able to find out that Danzo has a strong interest in under aged omegas, if you catch my drift." Gaara gave a firm frown as he looked to the others.

"Fucking figures, dirty bastard," Tsunade cursed out.

Sasuke frowned and felt his wolf tremor with anger at the thought of defenseless young omega werewolves being at the mercy of that filth. His fists clenched without him knowing, his claws poking into his palms.

"With the talk of under aged omegas, there is usually one place to get what he wants, and that is most likely the supernatural black market," Itachi piped in. Deidara looked towards Itachi, eyes wide and mouth agape. Deidara was familiar with such a place and from his own memories, it wasn't exactly pixies and roses type setting. Deidara brought his hand up to his mouth to catch his gasp. Itachi turned to him, placing his hand on his knee in a supportive gesture. Sasuke looked over to Deidara, who appeared to have whitened a few shades. _'Whats up with Deidara?'_ Sasuke wondered to himself. As if hearing him speak out loud, Itachi turned to look up at Sasuke. "Another time otouto," he whispered before turning back to the group.

"Danzo has been traveling more often than not as of late. Has something come up in stocks that may have his interest perked?" Kakashi added in.

"Not that I have seen at my end," Itachi included in. "Father appears to be the same absorbed business sense as always. Not that he has ever been anything different, but he does keep an eye on Danzo and what he is fishing for. I have not heard no seen any difference."

"What of Orochimaru?" Kakashi brought up. "I have not seen nor heard of he or his lacky for sometime now. Is he still even in the area?"

"He was in my region awhile back, for some conference on incurable viral diseases seminar. He was not presenting any new information, but appeared to be networking with other country's lab prodigies. It was around the same time Danzo was there, but I was unable to determine if they met up," Gaara frowned slightly.

"That slippery snake has always managed to slide his way in and out of almost everywhere undetected," Tsunade hissed out. "I have never been able to witness in person any illegal work he could be a part of, but it would just seem to convenient that he would have the answers to many, lets just say, impossible situations where no other could cure." She leaned back in her chair, "sure it was always joyous to find that Orochimaru had found the answer, but did anyone really question how he got the answer? I don't think so."

"Tsunade-sama, you worked with Orochimaru for a long time, is there anything you can share that could assist in our quest for answers?" Itachi asked, as he squeezed Deidara's knee, who had began to show more normal colouring.

Tsunade brought her fist up to under her chin, crossed her leg and let her head rest on her fist. "Always quiet, reserved, the introvert type person in college. He was a genius in his studies, make no doubt about that, we never battled, per say, for the top recognition in the class, but we were often the top two on the list. He never looked approachable, had an aura about him that spelled creep, but I was never one to hold that against him. But at times, I would question his interest in some suggested studies."

Kakashi raised a brow, "suggested studies?"

Sasuke was feeling light headed. He wanted to hear more but decided he needed to get some air, perhaps a bottle of water. He laid a hand on Itachi's shoulder, giving him a nod and a tilt of the head. Itachi understood with a return nod and Sasuke headed out of the room.

He quietly closed the door to Tsunade's office and took a seat on a chair that was nearby. He placed his face into his palms, taking several breaths. Maybe he should have stayed home, continue on with his recovery in the safety of his own home. The overload of scents, sounds and information was starting to make his head hurt and his wolf was suddenly pulling at his anxiety. He snarled inwardly at his wolf for stirring such emotions, trying to get his wolf to calm down as he tried to deal without the outward overload of emotions. He didn't need his wolf to create an emotional breakdown. He rubbed his temples before getting up to find a vending machine. He slowly took to his feet, finding his balance before slowly making his way down the hall. He was thankful that the ward they were in was very quiet, since it wasn't often that other species got sick let alone get sick with human ailments. The supernatural world had its upside then, he chuckled inwardly.

He made his way to where he hoped a vending machine would be, when his wolf slammed the side of a mental wall, causing Sasuke to suddenly wince in pain and stop to lean against a wall before he fell. _'What the fuck was that for!?'_ Sasuke mentally scolded his wolf. Sasuke felt his anxiety again rise, an eagerness erupted so fast that the hairs on his arms stood up and what felt like an electric current running down his spine, raising the hair on the back of his neck as well. _'Wh-what the hell,'_ he felt himself stuttering as the sensations riddled his body. It was then he caught an all too familiar scent. A scent of fresh air and citrus, tickling his senses like fresh baked cookies to a toddler. Sasuke inhaled deeply, letting the scent flow through his body, relaxing it almost instantly like a warm blanket.

"Naruto," he whispered to himself as he let his nose lead the way. His wolf poking at him constantly, like a child wanting a treat. He found himself coming to one of the hospital room doors, just down the hall from Tsunade's office. The door was slightly ajar, but the scent of Naruto was wafting through the door, there was no mistaking it, it was him. Sasuke let himself smile slightly as he stood just outside basking in the familiar safe scents. He could feel his wolf practically salivating and rolling about in it. He lifted his shaking hand and gently pushed on the door.

He allowed the door to silently sway open slowly, revealing the brightly sunlit room. It was a private room with the regular hospital room set up. A sink, cupboards, closet on one side and then a hospital bed on the other. In the middle of the room, with his back to the door, stood a tall tanned muscled alpha. His hair shimmering in the sunlight that he appeared to be basking in like a cat. Sasuke gave a slight chuckle at the thought, a werewolf sunbathing and being referred to as a cat. The blond alpha wore a light orange yukata and Sasuke could see big fuzzy slippers on his feet. _'Somehow those type of slippers doesn't surprise me,'_ Sasuke curled a lip up in a smile at the site. Naruto's ankles poked out from under the blue checkered pajama bottoms and Sasuke noted that Naruto appeared to be leaning forward slightly against a cane. Sasuke frowned. It was a reminder to Sasuke what Naruto had recently been through and that he was still healing. His wolf whined out towards the alpha, expressing itself, wanting to be there to console the alpha. Naruto's head twitched to the side slightly, as if hearing someone behind him. _'Of course he would know I am here, are we not wolves?'_ Sasuke held his breath.

"Hello?" the alpha called out quietly. "I can feel you ya know. I would always win at hide and seek as a kid!" Naruto let out a soft chuckle as he began to shift his body to turn towards who was behind him.

Sasuke gasped slightly as those vibrant blue eyes turned into his view and focused on him while Naruto maneuvered the rest of his body around to face him. Sasuke was overwhelmed with relief as he saw those crystal blue eyes again. He didn't realize how much he missed them, though he would never voice that out, like, ever. Naruto stopped, leaned lightly against the cane in his right hand, saying nothing as he stared directly at Sasuke. Sasuke felt his wolf reach towards the alpha, calling to it, rubbing against Sasuke's wall, wanting to move forward. Sasuke mentally disciplined his omega wolf. _'Knock it off! We move forward on MY terms! You know this!'_ Sasuke mentally relaxed as his wolf toned down its excitement. Sasuke snorted out a small huff at the blond who continued to watch him. "Cat got your tongue dobe? That's odd for you," he smirked out as he took a couple steps towards Naruto. "I know you have your quiet moments, but this is pretty extensive, even for you dobe," Sasuke snorted out a through a breathy chuckle as he continued to move closer. Naruto stepped back jerkily, as if trying not to lose his balance while backing away and Sasuke stopped. Sasuke tasted the air as he watched Naruto continue to step back slightly, his blue orbs not leaving Sasuke's. The air around Naruto suddenly tasted neutral, as if someone had given you a glass of water instead of lemonade. You expect the sweet fulfilling taste of lemonade and get shocked at the dullness of the water. He felt his wolf rub against his sensory, confused at the apparent situation.

"What are you doing here?" The blond alpha spoke firmly towards Sasuke, while slowly stepping back again, his cane shuffling against the floor next to him.

Sasuke tilted his head slightly, raising a brow in confusion. "What? I heard of—"

"Are you in the right room?" Naruto cut him off and kept his voice steady but softened it slightly. "I-I know that things can—look the same around here," he brought his hand back behind his head, running his fingers through his hair, as Sasuke was all to familiar with when Naruto was nervous. He watched silently as the blond's eyes looked towards the door behind him then back to him several times. "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but, you should ask the head nurse where you need to be." Naruto stood his ground now, releasing his alpha status into the room. Sasuke stepped back as he was hit with the threatening aura of the alpha, indicating that he was not welcome in the alpha's space.

Sasuke felt his wolf tremor and howl in despair as it was rejected by the alpha. Sasuke's felt his eyes widen at the dismissal, but he forced his face to remain firm as his heart severed with a quick twist, feeling the sudden taste of betrayal. He clenched his teeth, determined to not to allow any emotion release to show him as a weak omega. He tightened his fists, feeling his claws extend slightly and poke into his palms. He struggled to keep his wolf restrained as it pushed again the barriers of his mind, trying to compel him to submit to the alpha. His wolf couldn't understand why the alpha was rejecting and Sasuke had to leave. He didn't know how much longer he could stand in the presence of Naruto, being rejected so openly. Had nothing that transpired between them meant nothing? _'Obviously,'_ Sasuke sneered to himself. Naruto was no better than any other alpha, as per usual. _'I never should have even considered...'_ Sasuke ground his teeth and turned on his heel. He didn't look back as he slipped through the door and down the corridor. He needed to get out of there before the tears escaped.

Naruto watched the dark haired alpha leave the room on his heel and released a long breath. He shuffled over to the large arm chair by the windows and took a seat. _'Who...and what did he...'_ Naruto felt the sudden emotional turmoil running through his body. His wolf practically butted his mental walls, pushing out frustration, anxiety and defeat. The wolf was reeking havoc on his mental stability. Naruto felt the pressure pounding behind his eyes. _'What the fuck is your problem!?'_ Naruto felt his anger rising as his wolf left him feeling confused on why it was expressing all these negative emotions. His wolf had been quiet since his recovery, but when he released the status of his alpha towards the other dark haired alpha, his wolf was having a fit.

Naruto didn't want to release any of his scents that suggested the other alpha move away, but truth of the matter was he felt incredibly vulnerable in his current state. He has never been in the medical position he currently is in now, and the sudden appearance of a strange alpha in his room who had a hint of anger emanating from him, had his nerves immediately on edge. ' _Though,'_ he thought, _'the alpha was incredibly beautiful.'_ With his smooth faced features, deep pools of black eyes that showed a hint of mystery, his lean body and how he moved with grace and poise, he felt his interest perked a little on who this mystery alpha was. But the fear of being exposed in his current weakened state overwhelmed him and he panicked. He ran a hand through his blond locks as he thought about what the dark haired alpha had said when he came into the room. His wolf once again slammed itself against this mental barriers, causing Naruto to wince out in pain. He could literally feel his wolf's claws dragging down the inside of his brain. He knew that was a silly concept, but that is what it felt like at times, when his wolf was trying to tell him something or was having a tantrum. He leaned his head back into the softness of the arm chair and tucked his legs up. He brought his hands up to rub his temples, willing his wolf to calm its ass down and let him think. Unfortunately, the wolf never seemed to understand his requests and continued to slam at his emotions. He sighed, closing his eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. The arm chair was suddenly very comfortable, and with the suns beams hitting on him with full force, Naruto found himself drifting off quickly.

Itachi found Sasuke sitting outside on a bench, hidden slightly in the shade as Sasuke didn't care for being in the direct sunlight to long. His pale skin didn't agree with long exposure to sunlight, which was weird for a werewolf. Itachi placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. "Something on your mind otouto?" Itachi asked as he slid over to the seat beside him.

Sasuke looked over and beyond Itachi. "Where's Deidara?"

"He will be along shortly. Now, is something bothering you?" Itachi asked again, waiting patiently, his eyes gently probing his brother.

Sasuke looked up to the sky briefly, then brought his hand through his hair. "No nii-san, just needed some fresh air. The scents in there, the noise too..." he trailed off.

Itachi eyed Sasuke skeptically. He knew he wasn't telling him what the real issue was, but, he wasn't going to push. Not when he was still healing from his trauma. "Okay otouto, but never forget we are here for you." He pushed himself off the bench and headed towards their parked car. "We have much to discuss and plan otouto. Let go, its been a long morning."

Sasuke stood and looked back at the hospital, his eyes glazing over slightly as he looked to the large structure. His wolf wailed sorrowfully as Sasuke turned away from the hospital and followed behind his brother.

=====intermission====

Iruka stepped into the hospital room after a brief knock. He didn't wait for a response, as Naruto should be up and expecting him. It was their scheduled meeting time after all. As he slid into the room, closing the door softly behind him, he turned to see the blond napping in the big arm chair in the sun. He smiled softly at the site. His heart went out to the boy, seeing him on his road to recovery. Iruka tried to embed the happy friendly alpha into his mind as he still struggled with the odd nightmare of Naruto bleeding to death on the ground. Iruka frowned slightly as he was reminded of his dreams, where he was unable to save Naruto and felt responsible. He shook his head. He needed to not think of that and work on Naruto's healing. He moved to grab a chair to put near the arm chair and placed his clipboard on the nearby table. As he moved to gently wake Naruto, he noticed that he appeared to be panting slightly and his nose was crinkled. Naruto released a quiet mumble and his head flopped to the other side. Curious, Iruka moved closer to see if he could determine what Naruto was saying. Naruto's fingers started twitching and he whined out a little louder. His eyes moved rapidly behind his eyelids, and Iruka noted that it could be a memory surfacing. He grabbed his clipboard and knelt near Naruto's head.

"Cha...l-lunch—you...me," Naruto whispered out choppily. Iruka wrote in his book. "B-but, Sas—w-wait—lunch ," Naruto stuttered out again.

 _'Hmm,'_ Iruka thought to himself. When Naruto appeared to speak no more, he placed a hand gently on Naruto's shoulder, giving him a slight shake. "Hello Naruto, I'm here for our appointment." He stood up as he noticed Naruto began to wake.

"Oh, Iruka-sensei," Naruto stretched his arms over his head, hearing the bones pop and yawned loud and big. "S-sorry, you know the sunbeams feel amazing to sit in." Naruto began to stand, stretching slowly as he grabbed his cane, taking care to have his balance before the final stretch. He stopped midair, his arms still hovering over his head and still as a statue.

"Naruto? Are you alright?" Iruka asked out, moving to see Naruto's face. He saw wide blue eyes staring blank forward, not focused on anything, his mouth slightly hanging open. "Naruto?"

Naruto blinked a few times. "Holy shit, I was dreaming! Dreaming about being in a garden, it was dark and winter. There was someone there, but, but...I can't grasp it, fuck why can't I see?–ARGH!" Naruto pulled his arms down fast, slapping the sides of his thighs in irritation. He turned his head down, his hands clenched into fists. His arms shook slightly at the tightness of his muscles. "Dammit Iruka, I-I can almost see it, fuck!" He spat out between clamped teeth.

"Naruto, please, relax." Iruka slid up beside him, putting his hands on each of his shoulders. "Forcing the memory to come won't work. It will just make you continuously more frustrated. Let go Naruto," Iruka spoke softly as he rubbed at Naruto's shoulders. He rubbed them continuously until he could feel that Naruto physically began to relax his muscles. "Good, good, keep breathing, and when you feel better we will begin."

Naruto took some deep breaths and stepped back into the arm chair he just rose from. "Thanks Iruka, it's just, well—you know its so fucking annoying that this has happened! I know I used to dream all the time, but I never really thought much of it until now. Now when I dream, I know I did but, the memory is like trying to grab at fog! You know?! Now that I don't remember dreams, I realize how much I miss doing it." Naruto rested a hand on his forehead slightly, leaning into it, taking deep breaths.

"It's a good sign Naruto that you had a small vision of what you were dreaming of. Your mind is working hard to heal, think of that as a positive sign alright?" Iruka sat on his chair, grabbing his clipboard, "now lets get started."

Kakashi stood outside the hospital door waiting for Iruka to finish his session with Naruto. When he heard the final words indicating that the session was over, he knocked on the door. He poked his head in and smiled at Naruto and Iruka. "Yo," he called out with a grin.

"Kakashi-sensei, come in come in," Naruto smiled and waved at the gray haired man. "Good to see you, whats new?"

Kakashi wandered his way to Naruto's bedside, as Naruto was making his way back into the bed. "Nothing much, just meetings and such. Tsunade-sama tells me you are making excellent progress. I expect the same is with Iruka-sensei hmm?" Kakashi raised a brow towards the brunette man who was gathering his notes.

"Yeah, but working the gym is easier than working the mind," Naruto spoke out with a touch of disappointment in his voice. His fingers fiddling with the seam of the blanket.

"Don't worry Naruto, you will be back in action in no time for sure," Kakashi encouraged. He patted Naruto's leg that was under the blanket already. "Just keep doing what you are doing."

"So, uhh, sensei, any news on who did this to me?" Naruto whispered out, almost like he was afraid to ask the question.

Kakashi sighed slightly, shaking his head. "Alas no, Tsunade-sama and I are working with two other clans to try and get some clues."

Naruto looked up at him, his eyes asking the question, "which other clans?"

Kakashi eyed Iruka who looked back at him and gave him a nod, informing him that it was okay to speak of it. Kakashi knew that he was to keep his conversations of information to a limit, considering the healing process that Naruto was going through. "Gaara has been assisting, with his clan in Suna, he is able to find information in his region."

Naruto's eyes widened as he smiled and nodded his head. "Well tell that bugger to drop in and say hello if he has a minute."

"That bugger is still here," a deep voice resonated from the door.

"Gaara! My man!" Naruto beamed a smile that blinded the room. Gaara came waltzing into the room, with a stoic impression but headed straight to Naruto's bedside. Naruto reached over, arms open and latched onto the unemotional body of Gaara, pulling him into a tight hug. Gaara grunted nonchalant like and Naruto just rocked slightly mumbling Gaara's name over and over.

"Naru-c-could use some air…here," Gaara coughed out.

"Sorry sorry," Naruto released Gaara and gave his shoulder a strong pat, while Gaara straightened out. "It's so good to see you man! Sorry you had to see me like this," Naruto frowned as he again looked down at this blanket, hiding his eyes behind his bangs and his fingers fiddling with the seam.

"Naruto," Gaara began and bent down to look to see Naruto's eyes, "don't ever apologize for what happened. It was _not_ anywhere close to being your fault." Gaara patted Naruto's leg that was under the blanket. "We will find who did this, don't you worry."

Naruto just nodded, but still didn't look up. "Just, just don't go all vigilante without me okay? I wanna be able to kick some ass too," Naruto looked up then, a firm look in his eyes.

Gaara gave a grunt and smirk,"there's the Uzumaki I know."

"Believe it!" Naruto beamed out with a smile. "So who's the other clan?" He glanced over at Kakashi and Iruka who were watching the interaction between the two alphas from across the room.

Gaara glanced over at Kakashi and Iruka. He too was aware of the limitations of how to much to release to Naruto. They both nodded towards Gaara, who turned to see Naruto looking at him with question. "It's the Uchiha clan."

Naruto lowered his eyes slightly and pinched his lips. He appeared to be thinking. He raised his eyes and they were wide and blue. "Oh! Itachi right! He runs the bar! I remember him! But," he tilted his head slightly, "why would the Uchiha clan assist? I only see that bar, like once every other weekend. If that," he snorted out in a slight chuckle.

Gaara glanced at Kakashi and Iruka again, his one hairless brow raised in question once again. Again, they nodded. "Itachi's little brother was kidnapped around the same time you were shot Naruto." Naruto's mouth fell open in shock. "The situations may be related, that is why we are working together."

"Itachi has a little brother? I didn't know! That's horrible! Is he okay? Was he found?" Naruto started firing off questions and was genuinely concerned for a fellow werewolf.

Gaara smiled slightly, it was in Naruto's nature to be caring towards others. He was naturally optimistic and whole hearted towards anyone. But if you betrayed him, watch out. Naruto was no one you wanted to betray. "Yes Naruto, he was found in a hunter's den near death." Gaara watched Naruto release a relieved sigh. "The issue is, he doesn't recall what happened in the time that he was taken or who had taken him. He was severely drugged prior to being taken. Like you, his memories are limited."

Naruto frowned. He knew what that felt like. "I'm glad to hear that he is physically okay. But what's his name?" Naruto whispered out, as he looked at each of the others in his room individually. He noted that they all appeared to look at each other before someone answered.

"Sasuke," Gaara answered and watched Naruto.

Naruto bit his bottom lip as his wide blue eyes focused on Gaara. "W-where have I heard that name before..." Naruto tapped at his lips with his finger, as he looked up to the ceiling. "Ah!" He pointed his finger up. Gaara, Kakashi and Iruka looked at him, surprised looks in their eyes. "That's the name my pack told me about!" Naruto gave a grin. Gaara, Kakashi and Iruka slumped slightly. "Have we officially met or were we just in the same place?"

Iruka shook his head slowly but Kakashi touched Iruka's arm gently. "It doesn't matter right now Naruto, just know that we are working hard together to come up with why this happened." Kakashi gave a small smile at Naruto. Gaara nodded slightly, agreeing with Kakashi.

"Oh, well then, I-I certainly wish him the best," Naruto's voice dropped into a whisper.

=====XOXOXOXO====

"Were the samples provided efficient enough sir?" Orochimaru spoke into the phone, while sitting in an oversize chair in the low lit room. "Thank you, I appreciate your honesty." Orochimaru continued to listen to voice on the other end. His free hand holding a glass of brandy and he twirled the liquid around slowly. "Yes, sir, I understand, but unfortunately—" Orochimaru frowned as he was obviously cut off. "I understand sir, I have my best men working on it. In the mean time I have other—" He was cut off again. His face began to fall into a snarl look as he listened to the other voice on the line. "Sir I require more of the mineral elements as well, I will be forwarding you the paperwork. I trust you can follow through with my request then?" Orochimaru then turned up one of the corners of his lips into a sneer. "Yes I will be attending, yes...ah yes—understood, yes sir. I will be in touch before then." He pulled the phone away from his ear and hit the end call. He growled slightly as he shoved the phone between his leg and the cushion. Leaning back into the chair, he held up his glass of brandy and swiveled the liquid around.

"Kabuto-kun," he called out in a whisper.

"Yes my lord," the voice called out from the other side of the room. Kabuto was making himself a drink a the bar.

"It seems that we have orders for more of the exotic samples that have been gathered. Providing that the books are up to date, is it right for me to say that there is only a limited supply left of the near pure samples that are desired?" Orochimaru continued to swirl his bandy around in the glass, his eyes never leaving it.

"You are correct my lord," Kabuto answered as he moved to stand where Orochimaru was sitting. "There is a sale happening in Amegakure in the next couple days, I could attend if you wish my lord."

Orochimaru pinched his lips together. "Find out the merchandise list first, and if it appears of interest, we will both attend."

Kabuto bowed slightly with a sneer on his lips, "as you wish Orochimaru-sama."

 **xoxoxoxoxo**

 **So thanks to many of you that still made it this far! Anyone guess what memory Naru is remembering? :D**

 **It's tough waiting for updates, I can RELATE! But feel free to drop me a line on tumblr (inluvwnaruto) or here if you have a question!**


	17. Chapter 17

Dear readers, thanks for hanging on. I finally was able to finalize this chapter to my liking.  
My father unexpectedly passed while I visiting him over the holidays, therefore, my world was a mess for some time. As I wanted to get away, writing at the chaps is what has helped somewhat to ensure my mind isn't completely engrossed on the untimely passing of my father.

As well, if some of you are keeping up with Tell Me, know that that story is the one wanting attention now and demanding it of me a lot. I feel so bad that Deny Thy was being ignored a little, but managed to get the one chap finished to post. I know its a little short, but meh, you all needed something updated :D

All the best and many thanks to those who still see this through!

==x00x00x==x00x00x==

Itachi pulled up to the manor, and before he even turned off the vehicle, Sasuke had hopped out and went straight up to his room. Deidara looked at Itachi worriedly and Itachi shook his head. Something had upset Sasuke since the hospital, though he denied it, Itachi knew there was something. He decided to go up and talk to him while Deidara made tea.

He found Sasuke pulling out several university text books and setting them up on his desk. Itachi tsk'd to himself, he was familiar with this. Sasuke would bury himself in his studies, anything to assist to get him away from things that bothered him. In a way, it was somewhat better than running to dark persons like Orochimaru, but none the less, it wasn't healthy. Itachi knocked lightly and moved through the door, taking a seat on one of the armchairs. He watched as Sasuke grabbed a binder with his class notes and make himself comfortable at his desk.

"Sasuke," Itachi called out. Sasuke responded out with a grunt, indicating he knew Itachi was there. "What is troubling you otouto?"

Sasuke slammed a book down, his irritation relevant. "Nothing nii-san, I have a lot of work to do. So, if you would please excuse me," he responded between clenched teeth.

Itachi said nothing and didn't move from his position. He knew his otouto was a stubborn one, but he wouldn't ignore it this time. "You must have questions Sasuke, let's talk."

Sasuke stopped in his movements. Itachi using his name meant business. He turned to look at Itachi, who sat motionless, black eyes watching him intently. Sasuke ran a hand through his locks, pulling tightly for a moment before releasing a depleted breath. He moved to sit on the corner of his bed, his head resting on his hand, and crossing his legs. "What more has happened nii-san?" Sasuke started.

Itachi crossed a leg over. "Lady Tsunade and Gaara have been assisting in trying to determine who shot Naruto, laced with silver and how that event may be tied to your kidnapping. You were gone a long time, and there was no way that you could have been with the hunters for that long and be alive. Someone else had you, and we have every reason to believe whoever it was, wanted you for what you are. An Uchiha." Itachi pinched his lips together, his wolf agitated at the thought of his brother being someone's guinea pig. "When we learned that Naruto was awake, we couldn't tell you as of yet of Naruto's situation, as you were on your own healing path." Itachi watched Sasuke's eyes widen in question towards him. "Naruto woke with amnesia otouto." Sasuke's eyes focused on Itachi with an emotion he could not identify. "He is having trouble remembering anything prior to the time…" Itachi hesitated, "before he was shot." Sasuke tilted his head slightly, waiting for Itachi to continue. "He does not have any memory of someone shooting him, as well, he does not appear to have any recollection of you." Itachi sighed as Sasuke dropped his face to look at his hands that were now clenched in his lap. Itachi watched Sasuke breath through and process the information he had just shared with him. Itachi wasn't sure of the complete details of what level of courting that Sasuke and Naruto may have been at, but he knew it would have most likely been enough to leave Sasuke possibly distressed at learning of Naruto's current situation. "Lady Tsunade informs me that Naruto's memory loss is most likely…"

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke cut him off. "We weren't anything of importance for him to remember anyhow." Sasuke moved to stand. "Quite frankly, if he doesn't remember who I am, then I won't have to put up with his childish behaviours." Sasuke walked to his desk, taking a seat and opening up his binder. "Excuse me nii-san, I have several weeks of work to do that I need to get started on."

Itachi frowned and felt the sorrow of the omega wolf touching his alpha wolf, while he watched his otouto shut himself away. Itachi said nothing as he rose and made his way to the door. He glanced back at Sasuke, who looked as if he was diligently working away at his studies, before turning to leave Sasuke to his work. He didn't catch the tear that escaped Sasuke's eye that Sasuke furiously rubbed away, while growling out about work to do.

===x00x00x00x===

Naruto fidgeted with his sweater as he was pushed in the wheelchair through the hallways of the hospital. It had a been in total, almost a whole month of being in the hospital, from when he woke up to right now that is. He wasn't taking into account the time that he was in the coma. Tsunade finally gave the green light for him to return home, but not without a strict regime of a plan that consisted of diet, physiotherapy for the body, a written limitation on regular physical activities and regular appointments with Iruka. He could walk and run like his old self, so he felt, but Tsunade had warned him that any over exertion could cause damage to the tissues still healing. Werewolf or not, the poisons that damaged his body, would take longer than normal to heal, and Tsunade threatened to kick his ass if he overdid himself at any time. As for his memories, Naruto still found himself in the dark, literally, when it came to who shot him and the time frame from before that. He still wasn't sure how far in the past he couldn't remember, but Tsunade estimated it could be up to a year prior. He still was struggling with his dreams, at times he would remember something, but it would fade just as fast as he would remember. Iruka had asked him to try and keep a journal, so he could write down whatever he could remember. It was actually tucked in his duffel bag, filled with words that he wasn't sure he could piece together. He would maybe get the pack to help him look at it later.

He was pushed through the large mechanical doors that slid open when he was close and met up with Kiba, who had his jeep parked at the ready for him. The sun was shining brightly, the air was still crisp as it was now the beginnings of spring, but the heat of the sun made all the difference. Naruto smiled and squinted in the sun as he made his way to stand. Kiba came over and pulled him into a hug.

"It's so good to see you come home man," Kiba patted Naruto's back while hugging.

"You have no idea how bad I want to get home. The food here is killing me!" Naruto chuckled as he released Kiba and turned. Tsunade gave a glare with no bite, gave him a hug, reminded him to follow his recovery plan and she will see him for his next appointment soon. Shizune gave a soft smile and Naruto pulled her into a hug. "Thanks for everything," he whispered to her. Kiba grabbed Naruto's bag, threw it in and held the door open for Naruto. Naruto grinned another bright smile and waved as they pulled away from the hospital. He couldn't wait to get home.

As they pulled up to the familiar cottage home deep in the woods, Naruto couldn't help but suddenly feel that he was missing something. His wolf was suddenly anxious, and it felt like it was grieving. Naruto poked at the wolf, trying to understand, but the wolf just ignored him. Naruto felt the familiar pangs of a headache behind his eyes and he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"You alright man?" Kiba spoke up as he put the jeep into park, then killing the engine.

"Just headache coming, it's alright," Naruto grunted out as he made his way out of the jeep. "A snack of real food will probably help." He grabbed his bag from the back, slammed the jeep door and trotted to the front door of the cottage.

After getting settled back in his room, receiving several hugs and cheek kisses from Hinata and Sakura, he made his way to the kitchen, set on making something to eat that wasn't rehydrated hospital food. His mouth was practically salivating as he bee lined for the fridge. He was fishing in the fridge when Hinata came in and shooed him to the table, insisting that she would make him something to eat. Naruto plopped down, cracked open a water bottle and taking a swig. "We need to talk about Kyuubi," he started. "You all need to tell me everything."

As Hinata prepared a light meal of eggs, toast, vegetables with juice, she informed Naruto about Kyuubi's feelings towards the mystery of who the shooter was. The pack, including Kakashi tried to keep him from making any irrational decisions, but was in vain. Naruto nibbled away at the food, listening inventively. Sakura came in a while later and added to the conversation. Sakura explained the note that Ky uubi had left for them to find. Kyuubi was adamant on following a lead and told the pack not to worry.

Naruto pushed his plate away after finishing off his glass of juice. "And he hasn't texted or phoned at all. No clues on which way he was going or what the lead was," Naruto mumbled the areas of details of the story. Naruto then put his elbows on the table and folded his fingers together. He leaned his chin upon them, "guess there isn't much we can do at the moment. He just better be prepared for a beating once he returns." Naruto snarled out in an annoyed voice before slamming a hand on the table to emphasize his point, causing Hinata and Sakura to jump slightly. Naruto then grinned at the two women. "Thanks for the food Hinata," he smiled as he stood from the chair. "I'm going to go for a walk." He waved slightly as he left the kitchen, both women just watching him quietly.

Outside, Naruto walked with his hands shoved in his pockets, taking an easy pace, as Tsunade had threatened him to take his time. He knew if he overexerted himself as soon as he returned home, Tsunade would take his legs. His thoughts went to Kyuubi and hoped that he had not gotten himself into a serious situation. Why did Kyuubi not think to turn his phone on? What type of lead did he have? Was it that dangerous that Kyuubi couldn't risk being traced to where he came from? Naruto just sighed to himself, knowing that Kyuubi's hot headedness could lead to situations where he would end up with a black eye, but certainly never anything that could be life threatening. He kicked at some stones, watching them bounce forward and then into the grass. He decided to take a side path, not interested in returning home just yet.

He came to the river and followed the sandy bank, focusing on where he was stepping and the edge of the flowing river. A sparkle just under the shallow water caught his eye, having him stop and kneeling down just on the edge. He dipped his hand into the water, grasping at the sparkle and brought it up to his eyes. In his hand, a small rounded pebble sparkled in the sun, as it had several minerals in it. His eyes fogged over suddenly.

 _'It reminded me of you in so many ways...'_

 _Ebony eyes focused on a glimmer of a small rock in a pale hand that rolled and caught the dim light. A pale slender finger then rolled the smooth rock about in the pale hand. The dark eyes were beautiful, focused, but the face was hidden in the shadow. Naruto felt serene and pleased watching the scene._

Naruto shook his head suddenly. He was back by the river. A small wet pebble in his hand. He stood, dropping the pebble and bringing a hand up to his forehead. _'What was that? It—it was so real. A memory? But—but who was that then?_ His alpha suddenly was throwing a sense of yearning, practically calling out to—to _what?_ Naruto grumbled at himself, feeling frustrated. If it was a memory, then who was it? Why did he feel so—so _good?_ He kicked at the pebbles in the sand before turning and continuing to walk. He would have to write this down when he returned to the cabin.

He came up to a small opening, where several species of flowers and wild rose bushes grew. Naruto smiled. He knew this area, one of his many favorite areas in the forest. It was quiet, peaceful and quite pretty. Not touched by man, except his pack of course, the many species of flowers were able to flourish to practically an extreme. Naruto slowly walked through, enjoying the scents and colours. A few boulders that laid about, Naruto found one to sit upon. He glanced at the flowers as the moisture on them caught the rays of the sun, sparkling and glittering in the breeze. The sound of the river in the background, gave off a hypnotic type Zen space and Naruto smiled to himself as he let his senses take it all in. Iruka had suggested allowing himself to relax, another form of meditation, at any time as relaxing the body and mind was a part of healing. He closed his eyes and focused on all the sounds and scents around him.

 _Soft moonlight caressed the form that stood before what looked like a mirror on the ground. A slight breeze moved the strands of blue black hair, shining and flickering in the moonlight. As the moonlight brightened, Naruto could see that the mirror on the ground was actually a frozen pond, the form standing before it. Naruto could only see the form's back, but there was a scent. A strong earthy scent invaded his nostrils and his inner wolf suddenly moved about in excitement that had Naruto gasp. He tried to move towards the form, but it began to fade. Stopping, he called out, but no sound came. His wolf pushed against the barriers, Naruto felt the yearning once again coming from the alpha. The image suddenly faded into a fog…_

Naruto's eyes snapped open! _'Holy shit, what the hell is going on?'_ His heart rate sped up, the frustration rising as the image was still there, but all he could see was a silhouette of a person, the moonlight the only thing showing the form and again, no face. Naruto grit his teeth and started pounding the rock. He then jumped up and started shadow kick boxing, releasing his frustrations. At the same time he cursed out loud, releasing pent up energy through movement and verbalizing. After several movements, his body let him know that he had overexerted himself and he fell to his knees. He leaned his head back and howled out in frustration at the sky. His alpha would have howled out in agony if he let it. He released out hard, pushing his lungs out to release the irritation and frustration that he could not stop coming. The cry eventually trickled down to a whisper and Naruto dropped his head, his shoulders and panted. With his eyes squinted shut, his hands in fists on his lap, the sobs began to rack through his body and the tears fell.

===x00x00x00x00x===

He wiped the inside of the glass, nonchalantly, watching the others in the bar, grinding, dancing, acting flirtatious and in some cases falling over in a drunken stupor. Sasuke just rolled his eyes as he continued to wipe glasses, put them away, make a drink for a customer, then repeat. He let out a big sigh as he noticed a customer came to his bar, her eyes looking at him in a lustful manner, her eyelashes fluttering. She puckered out her lips slightly as he came towards her to get her order. "What can I get you?" Sasuke's voice was monotone and flat. He made sure not to make any movement that showed off that he may have any interest.

The woman winked then her eyes fell to his arms, she gasped slightly and her eyes suddenly filled with concern. "Oh my…do they still hurt?" she asked with sympathy in her voice.

Sasuke winced inwardly, looking to where the woman was staring at his arms. He briefly thought of the history behind the jagged scars littering his arms, his legs and his back. "No," he answered as he began to roll down his sleeves, covering them up before making her drink.

She gave a little smile as she looked at him, "at least there are no scars on your face." She winked again, grabbed her drink and turned to move away.

"Yeah, sure." He frowned as she walked away. Same old, same old, people thought just because he had no scars on his face that the pain must have never existed. He finished doing up the cuffs on his long sleeves, wiped down the wrinkles and moved to make another drink. Several weeks had now passed, Sasuke of course caught up on his university work and healed enough to start helping out at the club again for only a few hours at a time and under Itachi's watchful eye. He no longer went to the library alone, no longer stayed there to work. He found what he needed online, ordered the books then went to the library to pick up the books. In class he stayed in the class and went straight to his next class or to his car. He didn't talk to anyone anymore nor dilly dally outside. He made extra sure not to run into where Naruto may hang out, but he wouldn't tell anyone that. With his new routine, he didn't see the blond anywhere on campus or anywhere really.

His wolf was not happy, to put it simply. It raided his emotions now and then, reminding him of the loss it felt, but Sasuke reminded the wolf of the rejection. Sure, the alpha had amnesia, and didn't remember Sasuke at all, but that didn't make it hurt any less. He accepted that it was time to move on, heal and ensure that he finishes his education for his career path. The nightmares had subsided to one every so often, but at times the phantom pains still riddled through his muscles. To many times he woke to fear, out of breath, sweating, but he couldn't recall what the dream was about. Then the pain would start, rippling through his body, feeling like he was being wrung out like a dishrag and he would clench his teeth, breath through the pain, refusing to cry out. The first few times Itachi and or Deidara would come to his side, but Sasuke refused to show such weakness anymore. He would continue down his chosen path, as it was before all the _situations_ happened and be done with it.

His musings were interrupted when someone cleared a throat beside him. His dark eyes shifted in the direction to find the fire red haired alpha sitting at his bar. Sasuke turned, giving him a nod and grabbed a short glass, putting a few cubes in it. Holding it up he raised a brow in question, "on the rocks?" The red haired alpha nodded a response and Sasuke poured whiskey straight up into the glass, then placed the drink on a coaster before the man. "Gaara," Sasuke acknowledged the alpha.

Gaara grabbed the glass and held it up in appreciation, "Sasuke." He took a swig of the liquid, pinching his lips slightly at the bite the alcohol gave. "I came to update Itachi. Is he here?"

"Good evening Gaara," Itachi spoke up from behind Gaara, sliding into a bar stool beside him. Sasuke placed a drink for Itachi. "Update? Let's go to my office. Sasuke." Itachi nodded, grabbed his drink, stood and began to move towards the back office, Gaara and Sasuke following behind him. The office walls were vibrating from the music, but limited sound came through and Itachi flicked on his desk lamp, casting a soft glow about the room. Itachi motioned to the chairs at the head of the desk, inviting Gaara to take a seat. Itachi took a seat in his leather chair, folding his hands together under his chin when he leaned forward into the desk. Gaara sat in a chair as Sasuke stood to the side of the desk.

"It has been found out that an auction will be taking place shortly in the next region. My sources informed me that the city Amegakure has been found to host _sales_ every month." Gaara lifted his fingers, quoting the word sales and giving a disgruntled sound. "I have two individuals who have been able to receive an invite to the auction. Apparently a person needs to be on a specific list to be considered an honoured guest to get an invite to these sales." Gaara leaned back in the chair, his glass still in hand, he drank the remainder of the whiskey.

"I gather you can trust these individuals?" Itachi perked an eyebrow in question.

"Hn, of course," Gaara grunted out. "I have the utmost trust in Kankuro and Temari." Itachi sat up in surprise, his lip curling up in a smirk as he knew the two. "The sale is in two days, I'll update you on the progress." Gaara made to stand. "Any news on Sai?"

Itachi shook his head and glanced up at Sasuke. "He hasn't been seen anywhere, but that isn't uncommon."

"Hn," Sasuke responded. "If he has gone into hiding, it could be some time before he shows himself again. He did a lot of traveling for Orochimaru, to keep Orochimaru out of the spotlight. Therefore, he has a lot of places to go and keep himself in hiding."

"Be aware Sasuke," Gaara gave Sasuke a nod. "Itachi." Gaara nodded towards Itachi then left the office. Sasuke turned toward the one way glass. His eyes roving over the grinding bodies in the flashing lights.

"Otouto." Itachi turned his chair, looking over his brother with concern. Sasuke flinched his head, noting that he had heard his brother. "Talk to me."

Sasuke said nothing. He continued to look over the crowd, his eyes not seeing the crowd anymore, the lights flickering several colours through his retina's and then his eyes clouded over.

"Sasuke?" Itachi called out again when Sasuke placed a hand on the glass, leaning into it and breathing heavy. Itachi stood and walked up behind him, his alpha wolf nudging at Sasuke's. The omega wolf nudged back, quietly and expressed caution. Itachi bent over and looked around to see the far away fogged look in Sasuke's eyes. "Where are you otouto," he whispered.

 _"Good to see you again Sasuke-kun…How I've missed your presence around here…"_

Sasuke's eyes flickered quickly back and forth, as if he was seeing something and his breathing sped up.

 _"It had gotten dreadfully boring without you around…"_

Sasuke began to shake. His eyes flickered frantically about behind his now closed eyes. His breathing shortened to wheezy breaths.

 _"You should be well rested enough to attend…"_

Sasuke's knees buckled.

"Sasuke!" Itachi called out as he moved to catch Sasuke before he crumbled to the floor. He put one of his arms around his waist, hoisting him up as Sasuke's body shook uncontrollably. "Sasuke! Sasuke! Breath!" Itachi held him up, the alpha rearing its head in panic of the omega crying out in distress. Sasuke's eyes began to flutter open, fogged red eyes flickering about, trying to focus, his arms reaching out to hold something, trying to keep himself steady. "Otouto! What is it?" Itachi called out again. Though he was familiar with Sasuke waking to nightmares, he had not happened to see Sasuke fade into a dream like sequence while awake. Itachi managed to maneuver Sasuke to the couch, setting him down and feeling some relief as Sasuke began to respond. "Otouto…"

Sasuke sat hard on the couch, dropping his head into his hands, trying to control his heartrate. His wolf was struggling with fear, fear from what he heard. "Nii-san…his—his—I heard…" he stumbled to find the right words. His tongue wasn't wrapping the right words.

"Otouto, where were you?" Itachi knelt next to Sasuke's knees, placing a hand on Sasuke's head as the inner alpha purred out, willing to calm the omega.

"I-I heard him. That voice…" Sasuke took in a shuddering breath. "I heard Orochimaru's voice…"

==x00x00x00x00x==

Kyuubi grunted as he lifted crates and moved walls about, pushing around stacks of chairs, preparing for the upcoming gathering. For the last few weeks he had been working with Sakon, Jirobo and Kidomaru, getting to know the work, their role and some of the other workers. As far as anyone else was concerned, Kyuubi was a grunt worker, hired for his brawn and not his brains. Today was the day before the sale tomorrow, and Kyuubi was busy preparing the area. The inanimate objects that were being sold, had already arrived and were being set up at the tables in the far area of the room. Kyuubi was ensuring all the walls were in place, the holding areas were ready to hold the _wares_ when they arrived throughout the night. Kyuubi frowned. The creatures, some of his own kin, were called _wares_ in this world, treated like objects to be sold to the highest bidder. In between the sales, there was much work to be done, transporting, arranging, to name a few. His job was basically moving shit around and preparing for the event. He snorted out as he slid another wall into place behind the stage.

"Yo Kyuubi!" A voice bellowed out from across the room. "Got a last minute shipment that we need some help with!"

Kyuubi grunted out a response and headed for the back doors, meeting up with Jirobo and Kidomaru, who were lowering planks. Sakon came up behind him, "hey Kyu'. This shipment is of special request and usually brings in a promising bunch of coin!" Sakon slapped a hand on his shoulder. Kyuubi inwardly grimaced. "After we set up, wanna get a couple cold ones?" Kyuubi nodded and grunted out a response of agreement as he began to unload the merchandise.

===x00x00x00x00===

Kyuubi stood by the tables of merchandise, his job now to ensure that no merchandise went missing by any sticky fingers. It was a good position, noting that the late merchandise that came in the day before was of various minerals, one of them being a silver load. He didn't know who the seller was of the minerals, as the listing was always cataloged by a serial number, as every seller had their own. Kept the confidentiality of the seller for more than one reason of course. If he wanted to know the distributor of that silver, he needed to find the paperwork. He figured that the office where his boss was usually in, had the information he sought, but he would have to figure out the best time to get there. He had a lot to think about.

The auction began with the selling of various items off the tables, the _wares_ were often sold last. His eyes scanned the crowd, noting the smartly dressed individuals, and he recognized some politicians and clan leaders. Disgust went through him as he saw one of them being a werewolf council member, Danzo Shimura, who was talking quietly with a shorter younger man with glasses and silver hair. A younger couple caught his attention, since the majority of buyers were persons with several decades older if not more. This blond and brunette couple looked no older than in their late twenties. He made a note to keep a close eye on those two, as well as Danzo. The auction was about to begin.

After the objects on the tables were all sold, an intermission was held while the staff prepared the _wares_. Kyuubi made his way to the back. He found Konan in one of the holdings, combing the hair of a young wolf. During his time, he had come to find that Konan would attend to the younger pups, grooming them. Kyuubi snorted out his annoyance at this knowledge. He hasn't spoken to Konan since finding her participation when he was introduced by Sakon to the area and only now shared some words to Nagato. Nagato avoided most eye contact with him and only said what was necessary when the group came in for drinks. Kyuubi was saddened by this, he really liked Nagato. Hell, he even liked Konan before finding out how much she helped out at these sales. He continued his way through the back, it was his job to ensure the _wares_ were ready to go on stage then stand next to the stage to ensure things went smoothly. He threw a disappointing look to Konan as he walked by. He did not see if Konan glanced his way or not.

The _wares_ were brought out, pushed through without thought, bids were made and Kyuubi held a stoic face as he attended to the buyers collecting their goods. He bit his cheek when a young omega pup was leashed and handed to the old council member Danzo's goon. He made a note in his head of who purchased what and listened carefully to conversations that happened around him. His one thought, who was buying the majority of the minerals, silver included, had interested him and he at least had the serial numbers of the buyers of the minerals that he would research. He needed to determine a plan on getting the information he needed, and soon.

==x00x00x00x00x==

"Has anybody seen my black fishnet!?" A voice bellowed from the top floor of the cottage home. "Come on guys! I can't go out without it!" A near whine followed.

"Quit whining and look in your laundry!" Sakura yelled up the stairs. "And quit yelling!" She chuckled as she packed her lunch bag in the kitchen. She was working the graveyard shift tonight and was packing her mid-shift lunch and snacks as per usual. She was also dropping off the _boys_ as they had requested, stating they would find their own way home afterwards. She hummed lightly to herself, thinking that this was probably what the boys needed…to just be boys. Since Kyuubi ran off weeks ago and still hadn't contacted them, the tension and worry was becoming more and more difficult to ignore. The pack's anxiety was rising with each passing week, though she and Hinata tried to remind themselves that Kyuubi is a full grown alpha and couldn't be expected to stay in their pack forever. No matter how much Naruto insisted it was okay. Instincts can be difficult to fight, but Naruto was definitely hurting that his secondary alpha pack mate didn't at least keep in touch.

"Hurry up your scruffy ass up Kiba, I'm sprouting grey hairs and achy bones just waiting for your slow ass!" Naruto laughed out loud as he came strutting down the stairs. Hinata gave him a low hum of approval as she noted Naruto buttoning up his dark blue dress shirt over a white tank top. His black jeans hugged all the right places, complete with biker boots. He winked at Hinata for good measure while flashing her a grin.

"Looking sharp there alpha," Hinata gave a purr. "Certainly will be turning some heads tonight going out looking like that." Hinata crossed her arms and walked around the now blushing blond, giving several nods of approval.

"Oh stop…I'm hardly that interesting," Naruto raised his voice a few octaves higher blowing out a raspberry at her and put his hand on his hip, when he thrust it out. "Look at my thighs, do this make me look fat?" He put two fingers up to his lips, giving Hinata a questionable pout.

Hinata started giggling and gave Naruto a playful slap on the shoulder. "Go get your boogie on you goof!" She laughed again when Naruto started chuckling at her response and ruffled her hair. Sakura came out at that moment, dressed for work and giving Naruto an approval whistle.

"And what me? Aren't I worth a few catcalls?" Kiba pouted from the top of the stairs. He had on his tight fitting blue jeans, black fishnet shirt with a brown leather jacket, complete with cowboy boots. He was fiddling with his sleeves as he made his way down the stairs. Hinata made a couple catcalls to make him feel better, and of course, he did really look good.

"Okay boys, lets hit the road, remember I'm off at five a.m. if you are still around the area and need a ride home, just shoot me a text." Sakura grabbed her keys and headed out, both guys following after her and Hinata wishing them a good night.

During the trip into the city, Naruto watched the passing scenery. The first was darkness, nothing new there since it was forest, but when they came to the city outskirts, the flickering lights on the horizon was magical. His eyes took in the panoramic view with awe, as it always took his breath away.

Noticing his silence, Kiba shoved his elbow into Naruto's side. He gave Naruto a look of question. "You sure you alright man?" His voice etched with concern.

Naruto hummed then gave a brilliant smile. "Yeah, yeah… Iruka did say I should try getting back into groove of things if I feel comfortable." He hesitated and he brought his hand back behind his head, rubbing it in habit. Kiba placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Naruto laughed quietly. "Let's do this dude, we deserve it eh?!" Kiba seemed to accept this answer and shook Naruto's arm, giving a laugh before he leaned forward to talk to Sakura who was in the front driving. Naruto inhaled deeply and looked out the window again. He had to be ready for this. Being stuck home with medical routines was so not his comfort zone. He was doing his regular physio appointments and meetings with Iruka, but he was still feeling so lost…practically in the dark. He talked to Iruka about the visions that he had and Iruka noted that it may be his memories are trying to get through and to continue his meditation and not to push it. His alpha was no help, it felt as if it was mourning or was searching but continuously coming up frustrated. Naruto couldn't get a feel for its apparent agony at all. The worst was after the dreams, the damn fucking dreams. He ran a hand through his locks, pulling slightly due to his aggravation. The dreams left his heart racing, a slight sweat on his forehead and his alpha nipping at his mental walls wailing. The visions were darkness, filled with a feeling of sorrow and hollowness, and he was sure he heard crying in the distance. But the light was always there, always just out of his reach, no matter how hard to tried to grasp it, it always blinked to nothing as soon as he got close. He snorted out his annoyance quickly before engaging in on Sakura and Kiba's conversation.

Sakura dropped the two off outside the club, reminding them to text her if they needed her. The two took in the spring night air before noting the small neon sign, _The Rinnegan_ , gave a soft glow. Kiba slapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder, flashed him a grin and tilted his head towards the subtle entrance. Naruto returned the smile, taking steps next to him.

The lights were beating in time with the music, the vibrations shook through their skin and Kiba's hips were bumping as soon as they stepped through the door. He bopped his head slightly to the beats while twisting his way to the bar, Naruto right behind him. Once they made it to the bar, Kiba called over the bartender. Naruto came up behind him, turning to look at the people dancing around him and taking in the atmosphere. He smiled warmly as he looked about. He felt relieved as he remembered this place. He recalled coming to the place with others from uni, from work, and of course with Kyuubi. A swish of sadness overcame him, thinking of Kyuubi but his alpha suddenly perked up and became excited that had Naruto look about in wonder. What got his alpha so riled up he wondered.

"Naruto!" Kiba called out. "What will it be?"

Naruto turned to see the bartender was at Kiba's front, waiting for a drink order. Dark coal eyes met his that had Naruto's breath stutter. Naruto licked his lips before leaning in close to bar, his eyes focusing on the dark eyes of the man before him. "Give me a vodka special, tall," Naruto called out before adding, "good to see you Itachi." Naruto grinned when Itachi gave him a small smile and held a hand before him to shake.

"Good to see you Naruto. I am absolutely pleased to see you out and about. So sorry to hear of what happened, but I am certainly glad to see you are on the mend," Itachi managed to call out while he shook Naruto's hand. "And just to let you know, my pack is assisting on the case to see that whoever was responsible is brought to justice." Itachi's tone was serious and deep.

Naruto shook Itachi's hand back, his smile saddened slightly when Itachi mentioned what happened. "Thanks bunch Itachi. It's good to actually be out. I was going a little crazy being stuck indoors." He nervously chuckled as he shoved his hands in his jeans pockets, not sure where else to put them while Itachi eyed him. He suddenly felt nervous with Itachi staring at him intently but couldn't tell why. His alpha was still anxious or excited, Naruto couldn't quite tell. Was it because of Itachi? He didn't recall his alpha getting riled up in the past because of Itachi. But then… _'there are pieces of my past missing now isn't there…'_ Naruto thought sadly.

"On the house." A voice broke his thoughts. Naruto looked to see Itachi pushing a drink towards him. "And again, it is really good to see you Naruto." Itachi nodded in approval and moved to help other customers. Kiba slapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder, catching his attention. Kiba nodded out towards the dance floor and Naruto nodded in agreement, the pair moved off into the crowd.

Naruto leaned against a small table, tucked into a corner, holding his second drink in his hand. He watched Kiba wiggle and move with a woman on the dance floor. Naruto was taking it slow and just watching. He didn't want to drink to much, and he certainly didn't feel like dancing either. His alpha was still acting strangely anxious and at times would get angry. Naruto still didn't have a clue what his alpha was thinking or what was making it so upset. He was getting quite tired of its tantrum. His eyes looked away from Kiba and took in the area. The fog machine released in spurts, set to the time of the lights and music, definitely made an atmosphere of a dance club. The corner Naruto was in was a tad bit quieter, as it was directly out of the speakers, lights and the crowd. His eyes scanned the bodies of the various persons moving around and focused on an individual that appeared to be leaning back against one of the bars. His eyes looking out at the people, just as he was doing. His alpha poked him harshly that had him flinch from the pain. _'What the fuck asshole!'_ Naruto verbally lashed out at his alpha. _'Jeezusss what the fuck is wrong with you! Shit if you had a body asshole, you would so be getting a beating!'_ Naruto rubbed his forehead as he felt the pain begin to subside and he looked up to see the figure at the bar now looking directly at him. Naruto drew in a breath as those black orbs pierced his body. The lights were bouncing off his marble coloured skin that pulled his eyes in and he swears that it was the most beautiful site he had ever seen. As he took in the structured face and the hair, Naruto's eyes widened as he came to a realization. It was the lost alpha that showed up in his hospital room! _'Day-AM that's one hot alpha!'_ The said hot alpha continued to look at him for a moment more before pushing himself off the bar and turning around, walking away from Naruto's stare.

Naruto's mouth dropped open while watching the retreating raven haired alpha disappear within the crowd. He didn't realize that his legs started walking without him knowing towards where said hot alpha was last standing. His blues scanned the area, looking for a wisp of dark hair, the marble skinned alpha man that may be still in the sea of bodies. Naruto came up to the bar, standing up on his toes to look around the area. _'Where the fuck would he disappear so…'_ His head tilted to the left and right, up and down, and when he couldn't find him he slowly sank back down to the flats of his feet and flopped heavily on a bar stool. He released a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair, feeling defeated.

"If your gonna sit, you need to order."

The voice behind shocked Naruto into a standing position. "Alright, jeez, give a guy a break," Naruto whined as he turned to face a set of round shaped dark orbs and marble coloured skin. Naruto gulped when he noticed it was the alpha that he was just staring at from across the room. Naruto was speechless as he took in the cool dark eyes as they gave an icy glare back.

"You gonna order something or not _dobe?'_ the baritone voice vibrated through his skin like someone had run ice cubes down his back.

Naruto's eyes blinked rapidly, and his eyes fogged over. _'Hold it open any longer and you will attract flies dobe…'_ The statement and the sound of a deep chuckle echoed through the darkness in his mind.

Naruto froze, feeling his alpha's excitement vibrate with such force the sudden memory disappeared. Naruto's eyes came back into focus and he instantly chastised his wolf. _'Fucking god dammit! What the hell!'_ Naruto grit his teeth angrily and clenched his fists, he wanted to punch something.

"Hmph, idiot."

Naruto flicked his head up to see the dark haired alpha turn and walk away. Naruto felt a punch to his gut as his alpha pushed at him. Naruto ignored it. "Wait! Wait…please," Naruto called out suddenly. His heart skipped suddenly when the dark haired alpha stopped but didn't turn to look at him. "I've met you before…r-right?" Naruto spoke out, but he didn't know why he asked that question. Something was wanting him to keep the attention of the dark haired man.

The dark haired alpha looked over his shoulder, his eyes taking in the artic blue that bore at him. "Don't think so," he said curtly.

"I'm Naruto," he spoke out quickly. He hated that he sounded almost desperate.

"Not interested," the man spoke in return, turning now to take the order of another customer.

"But you haven't taken my order yet!" Naruto called out and grumbled when the dark haired man held a hand up to him, indicating for him to be silent while he was taking another order. Naruto flopped down again on a bar stool, watching the dark hair, cool skinned man create a drink for other customers. His alpha felt like it was spinning in circles and throwing itself at the barriers. _'What is wrong with you?'_ Naruto questioned his wolf but then ignored it. He continued to watch the bartender and inhaled deeply. His eyes fluttered shut when a scent suddenly breached his nose.

 _He found himself leaning closer to the scent, closer to the one emanating it, right across from him, in his jeep…it's dark out, black eyes were half lidded and focusing on him…_

 _'So thanks for tonight, and other times too…and I wanted to give you this.'_ He heard himself saying…

 _A small box in his hand, long slender fingers now covering the box, his own hand covering those fingers and leaving the box in a pale skinned hand, the slender fingers folding around the box…_

 _'Thank you again Sasuke, sleep sweet…'_

Lips whispered out when blue eyes opened and focused on the bartender, "Sasuke…"

==x00x00x==x00x00x==

Well, things are moving along arent they :) Thanks for reading to the end of this chap!


	18. Chapter 18

Welcome to those who stuck around! I have finally made this chapter to what I wanted it to be. Need to move things along now don't we! The boys deserve the story to come to its conclusion sometime right!

I was finally able to finish off Tell Me, so now Deny Thy can have my full attention, yay! Oh yeah, Tell Me is now available in paperback if anyone is interested. If interested, I'll share the link!

Again, thanks to those who stuck it through, who dropped me well wishes and so on. Everyone stay safe during this difficult time and there is light at every tunnel.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

"S-Sasuke. Your name…Sasuke," Naruto tried to spit out as Sasuke continued to ignore him. Naruto inhaled the familiar earthy scent with the unmistakable anger scent mixed in. Pain pierced behind his eyes briefly, as images flashed before him. _Sasuke dancing in the club with lights glittering about when Naruto first saw him. Christmas lights and moonlight reflecting off Sasuke's body in the frosty garden. Sasuke's work dance behind the bar as he made drinks and Naruto watching him all night long, catching glimpses of Sasuke's smiles as they talked. The blushing of Sasuke's cheeks in the coffee shop that night._ _The moment a gun was held at Sasuke's neck._ Naruto's heart thumped hard against his chest as the flashes went off in his head like a tidal wave and he tried to keep up.

"Yo! Bartender, over here!" A burly man shoved Naruto aside and started yelling for a drink. Naruto growled at the muscle mass alpha beside him.

"Hey, jerk, wait in line!" Naruto growled out and gave the muscle headed jerk a shove with his shoulder.

Gray eyes turned and glared at Naruto. Canines expressed out and gave a snarl. "Who the **fuck** do you think you are touching me prick!?" The extreme rude alpha turned a slapped hard against Naruto's shoulder, causing Naruto to step back slightly. "Let the big boys order first you little shit," the alpha snarled out again as he turned towards the bar, trying to get the Sasuke's attention.

Naruto's alpha raised its hackles as he moved forward to grab the offensive muscle headed alpha. He was surprised when the muscle headed alpha turned around and managed to shove Naruto back, causing him to stumble. Naruto gnarled his teeth.

"Excuse me," a baritone voice yelled from behind the bar. The muscle headed alpha turned to see that Sasuke had come to that end of the bar, holding a bottle of alcohol. "I will have you both removed if you continue."

"Yeah well this little punk couldn't wait his turn," the muscle bounded sneered out and threw his thumb back pointing at Naruto. "I'll order that whole bottle for the trouble that little shit caused and for your number hotty," muscle moron winked at Sasuke and grabbed the bottle from him.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at the muscle bound prick, not surprised at all at the pickup line. What he didn't expect was Naruto's wide yellow eyes coming into site, canines bared and a war cry escaping the blonde's lips.

"ASSHOLE! Show some fucking respect," Naruto snarled out as he threw a punch towards the muscle bound alpha.

"Okay that's it—" Sasuke started to say as he reached forward to take the bottle back from the rude muscle bound alpha. He didn't get a chance to finish as said bottle was suddenly flicked back towards him and smashed into his head. His mind in complete shock, his eyes widened as he stood frozen for a moment.

"Oh FUCK!" the voice yelled from the muscled idiot's mouth, Sasuke saw first.

"SASUKE!" Sasuke then heard Naruto yell out before the world greyed out, went black and he promptly fell backwards onto the bar floor, unconscious.

==/\/\==

Sasuke woke to an ache behind his eyes and the feeling of a cold spot on his head. He slowly brought his hand up to his head, not surprised to find a cold packet on the side of his head. A groan of pain released from his lips as he struggled to open his eyes.

"Take it easy sport," the deep voice whispered out. "You got an awesome goose egg happening there."

"Holy shit, what the hell happened?" Sasuke groaned out as his eyes opened slowly to find he was in the club office. He could feel the vibrations from the music, so obviously the night isn't over and he must not have been out for very long.

"The weirdest thing sport, your head got in the way of a flying bottle," Kisame chuckled slightly. "Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Kisame came to Sasuke's side, offering him a hand on sitting up. "Take it slow now."

Sasuke did his best glare at Kisame as he put his legs to the side of the couch. He held the cold packet in place as he thought about what he seen. _'Naruto…he said my name.'_ Sasuke flickered through the moments he saw the blond at the other end of the dance floor. How his wolf had shuddered with excitement at seeing the blond. Sasuke scolded the wolf, but naturally, it could not understand why Sasuke wasn't moving towards the alpha, therefore wailed loudly within. Sasuke turned away, content on losing himself in his work, and ignored the whole thought that the blond alpha was even in the club. It had been several weeks and Sasuke was convinced that moving on was the best thing to do. It was apparent that Naruto's memories of them were not coming back, thus making it easier for Sasuke to focus on uni and work.

"I got to the bar in time to hold off blondie from ripping apart the guy that hit you with the bottle. What a shit show," Kisame explained as he inspected Sasuke's lump. "We dragged em both outta here. I'll let Itachi know you're awake." Sasuke just hummed in response while Kisame left.

 _'Did he remember something? How could he have remembered my name when he obviously didn't know before,'_ Sasuke thought to himself as again the nights events went through his head again. "He must have heard my name from someone at the bar," Sasuke mumbled to himself. Naruto obviously didn't remember him before the catastrophe, since he was asking questions just moments prior. Sasuke just slumped back into the couch, the cold packet flopping onto the couch.

Itachi and Deidara came into the room. Deidara immediately ran to his side, checking his hairline, his temperature and Sasuke snorted out and slapped Deidara away. Itachi gave a low growl at him and Sasuke sighed out, dropping his hands and letting Deidara dote on him. "Deidara will take you home. That was a nasty knock to the head you got, though I'm surprised that happened." Itachi brought his fingers beneath Sasuke's chin, inspecting Sasuke's face. "It's very odd for a wolf to get caught off guard like that. Hmm." Itachi then stood. Deidara sat beside Sasuke, hugging him in close with one arm. "For now, go rest otouto." Itachi leaned against his desk, arms crossed and a soft look of concern fell upon his face.

Sasuke let out a sigh as he stood, Deidara helping him up and leading him out the door. "Good night nii-san," Sasuke mumbled. The vibrations wasn't doing his head any good and he actually was looking forward to just hitting his sheets to sleep.

"I'll go get the car and pick you up just down from the door 'un," Deidara stated as they went to the stairs that led up and out. Sasuke hummed in agreement and let Deidara run up and out before him. When the air his Sasuke's nose, he breathed in deep, enjoying the summer warmth of the evening and quiet of the outside. He nodded to the bouncer at the door and stepped just a few feet from the door, where it was a little darker. As he leaned against the cool wall he smiled slightly when he realized this area was just a few steps away from where Naruto had given him that pearl. He looked to the side, and sure enough, if he walked about four steps and—and…

"Sasuke?" A voice whispered from the shadows, just the four steps away that he was just looking at.

Sasuke jumped back suddenly, a fear flashed through him as his wolf and senses jumped to high alert. "Who are you, what do you want?" Sasuke growled out. His body slowly shuffling back towards the main door of the club. The figure stepped out slowly from the shadows and Sasuke growled out as he saw familiar blond locks and blue eyes.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered out. His teeth clamped onto his lower lip as his one hand reached out slowly towards Sasuke and he took small steps towards him.

"Stay away from me!" Sasuke growled out as he stepped back more. His wolf shook with excitement at seeing the alpha, but Sasuke wouldn't allow it. Sasuke snarled his canines at Naruto, warning him to stop as he tried to back up more.

"Please, Sasuke, are you—I —I…"

"Get AWAY FROM ME!" Sasuke barked out, his eyes turned red as he snarled and swiped his claws at Naruto before turning around and running for the entrance of the club. He didn't get far as the blond had managed to grab his arm. Sasuke turned and began throwing punches with his one arm as he pulled at his trapped arm. He hissed and growled at the blond who pulled him back.

Naruto grunted as he pulled Sasuke's back hard into his chest and wrapped his arms around the fighting Sasuke. "Please…please Sasuke—I see you…I –I …" Naruto hugged Sasuke hard and began sobbing into his neck.

Sasuke struggled until he heard the distinct sounds of Naruto's sobs and felt his body trembling against his. Sasuke then froze, his hands clenched on his sides, his body frozen as he didn't know what to do. Part of his mind was riddled with fear, the instincts kicking in from his trauma but his wolf glowed in the embrace, enjoying the warm bodied alpha pressed against him.

"Oh-oh my g-god, Sas…Sas'ke. I remember – _sniff_ – I remember. _Please—please don't g-go_ …" Naruto blubbered into Sasuke's neck as he continued to wail out sobs. "You—your smell. Oh fuck how—how could I forget. And—smile, oh yes—I see! I can see that time—and-and oh my god, Sas'ke," Naruto continued to ramble partial sentences in Sasuke's neck while his body shook holding Sasuke's frozen form.

A car screeched to a stop beside them and a whirl of blond hair came running to Sasuke's side. "Sasuke 'un are you alright?" Deidara yelled frantically as he grabbed Sasuke's cheeks. "What's going on here? Who the fuck is this?" Deidara growled deeply and began to unfold the other blonde's arms away from Sasuke. Sasuke was still frozen in spot as Deidara looked at the alpha wolf. "Naruto 'un? Is that you?"

Said blond finally lifted his head from Sasuke's neck as his arms were forcefully removed from Sasuke's form. His eyes were puffy and red rimmed, tear tracks littered his face and Deidara thought that this was the most pitiful look on the alpha that he had ever seen. "OH Naruto-kun!" Deidara pulled the said blond into a hug. "How are you 'un?! How are you feeling? Oh my god, you look so much better!" Deidara continued to hug Naruto, leaving Sasuke standing beside them.

 _'What the fuck?'_ Sasuke moved away and made his way to the car parked nearby.

"Sasuke, please just-just wait!" Naruto called out frantically. "Please—wait!" He gently moved Deidara from him and ran towards Sasuke.

Sasuke froze by the passenger door, hand stilled on the handle as Naruto came up behind him. He flinched when Naruto's fingers touched his arm.

"Sorry, sorry…" Naruto chanted as he pulled his fingers back. "Just, please—wait a minute?" Naruto pleaded. "There's so much—I want – _no_ – I need to say – ah fuck, please, hear me out." The tears continued to release as Naruto hiccupped through the words.

Sasuke took a breath and opened the car door, not looking at Naruto and just slipped inside. Naruto just watched him, with a solemn look in his eyes as he just stood outside the window and looked on. Sasuke refused to look at him and kept his eyes forward.

Deidara came to Naruto's side and squeezed hi shoulder. "Give him time Naruto-kun. It is good to see you looking better," Deidara smiled softly at him before moving to the other side of the car. He pulled the car away, Sasuke not even glancing a look at Naruto.

Naruto nearly collapsed at the onslaught of emotions coming from his wolf. The memories were still slamming against his mind and he could feel the pain developing behind his eyes. He moved back to the side of the building, sliding down the concrete ground as he took on the pain. There was just so much to comprehend and he was struggling to keep up with it all. He pulled his phone out, his hands shaking from the onslaught of emotions and pain and swiped to find the number he needed. "H-Hello?…"

Sasuke hopped out of the car and strode straight into the manor and up to his room. Deidara's calls rang in the back ground but Sasuke could care less. He slammed his door shut and slid down to the floor. His hands cradled his head that was now pounding with pain. The injury to his head was nothing compared to the pain ripping through his heart. Just when things were starting to return to some sort of normalcy, the carpet got pulled from under him. His wolf called out to him, offering a warming supportive gesture and Sasuke was thankful that his wolf seemed to finally understand his emotional distress.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

The next morning Kakashi sat at the Uchiha kitchen table with Itachi, Deidara and Kisame. "What did he remember?" Kakashi pulled out his notebook. The Uchiha pack members were relaying the prior night's events.

"He remembered the voice of when he was held captive was that of Orochimaru," Itachi nodded out. "Small bits and pieces here, but he still doesn't recall who took him, though there is no doubt if Orochimaru was the voice then Sai must have had a hand in this." The wolves all nodded in agreement.

"But Naruto remembered 'un," Deidara piped up. "He was an emotional mess when he met up with Sasuke outside." Deidara sipped his tea.

"Yes, Naruto called Iruka last night and he spent the night with him. Naruto had informed Iruka last night that it was, and I quote, … _the black haired skinny assed waste of space alpha that shot me…,_ unquote!" Kakashi snorted out. "I can only assume he meant Sai, but Naruto never knew the alpha's name he had seen with Sasuke on rare occasions. But with Naruto's memory returning, he's exhausted mentally but I'm sure we will get some more answers soon. Continue to monitor Sasuke's mental health and call me with any concerns." He slipped his notebook closed as he got up. "I'll be in touch when I know more after talking to Naruto." He nodded as he headed out. "Oh, and I think those two will be good for each other, you know…to heal," he winked at Itachi before shutting the door behind him.

Itachi scoffed. He didn't know if he could handle his brother going through another relationship right now. The alpha in him demanded that Sasuke be kept safe, especially with all the dangers still lurking out there. Once the ones who were responsible were brought to justice, then maybe, just maybe, Itachi would feel safer.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Crystal blues woke to the sounds of birds and the strong smell of coffee. He stretched out and scratched his scalp, letting out a satisfying groan. He lifted himself up, moving to the edge of the bed and the memories of Sasuke still ran rapid through his mind. His heart was continuously aching at how he forgotten all about his time with the other alpha. The meetings, the talks and the courting had moved to such levels that Naruto was so excited to reach the completion. "To come so far and then be ripped away from it," Naruto whispered out. It was no wonder that Sasuke didn't want anything to do with him. The rejection in the hospital must have been the worst for Sasuke and Naruto's inner wolf expressed irritation as Naruto reflected on that particular memory. And Naruto could completely understand why the beautiful introvert wolf, who didn't practically like to in any shape or form, express emotions to anyone, would have walked away from him in the hospital.

He and Iruka talked until Naruto was exhausted enough to go to sleep. The fear he felt as soon as he recalled the day that he was shot the memories ran like ice through his spine. It was like he was back at that moment, and immediately his emotions were on hiatus. Then seeing Sasuke left him drowning in the onslaught of the flood of emotions. He recalled being angry with Sasuke, thinking he had been played for a fool and Naruto's guilt had hit him hard. Thank god for his wolf slapping some sense into him before he could cause any more damage, but that dark haired, skinny assed alpha shot him! The one he saw Sasuke with at the coffee shop and the one that was in the library trying to push him around. _Fucker!_ He must have done something to Sasuke for Sasuke to be dragged around like that. Naruto found himself getting irritated all over again. It was obvious that the alpha took Sasuke. Running a hand through his hair, he made his way up to have a shower before meeting with Iruka downstairs.

"Thanks for everything Iruka," Naruto expressed as he sipped at a cup of tea. Both men had finished breakfast and were now sitting with their coffee.

"My pleasure Naruto. You can always call me if you have questions or just need to talk." Iruka smiled and sipped his tea. "About last night…"

Naruto flopped his head onto his hand, his elbow on the table and he let out a breath that blew his hair about. "Oh god Iruka, I don't know what to do next. Sasuke hates me and I want to do nothing but make it better, but I want to remember everything first, but there is so much to remember but my wolf is anxious and wants to make it up to Sasuke like right now!" Naruto rambled out before moving his hand, dragging it from his forehead down his face in exasperation. Iruka just nodded his head and hummed, indicating he was listening. "It's like I'm on this fucking rollercoaster of life, oh, sorry excuse my words," Naruto gave a sheepish look, "and I can't grab all the things I want because there is so many, like you know?" He gave yet another exasperated breath.

"It is perfectly natural to feel overwhelmed at this point Naruto. Please understand that again, the mind takes a little more time and patience than physical muscles to heal." Iruka patted Naruto's hand with a soft smile. "Try not to _beat yourself up_ about the situation and I'm going to suggest something to assist with the overwhelming memories." Iruka got up and sifted through a drawer. He walked back over to Naruto, placing a notebook before him. "Write down your memories, and all the details you can remember, including the time and day. Once they are recorded, your mind will subconsciously feel at ease knowing they are permanent somewhere and take the pressure off your remaining memories. They will all fall into place, but it takes time, patience and a little guidance to help your mentality. Stop thinking physically of your mind, because you know it's not going to heal with push-ups and sit-ups." Iruka chuckled as he ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Greetings," Kakashi stepped into the kitchen. "How you feeling kid?" Kakashi asked as he poured a cup of coffee for himself.

"Kakashi! How is he? Did you see him this morning?" Naruto rushed out his words.

"Mah mah, Naruto, you always in such a hurry!" Kakashi waved his hand back and forth, his eyes crinkled up, a sign he was grinning. Naruto grumbled at him. "Sasuke is alright. A little bump on the head but no serious damage."

"He—he didn't ask about me did he?" Naruto whispered out, nervous to ask. His fingers fiddled together and he bit his bottom lip.

"Well I can't say you weren't brought up," Kakashi shrugged and gave a wink.

Naruto sighed out as he stood and grabbing the notebook. "Thanks Iruka, for all your help. And I'll work on this and update you at our next meeting." Naruto held the book up and gave it a shake. "Thanks Kakashi. I'm going to update baa-chan about his." He waved at the two and headed out.

"After you meet with Tsunade-sama, I need to talk to you more Naruto," Kakashi called out and he was certain he heard a grunt of acknowledgment.

Iruka threw Kakashi a glare. "Whaaaaaat?" Kakashi whined out."

"Really? _Really?_ " Iruka folded his arms across his chest as he continued to glare at Kakashi. " _Oh, well I can't say you weren't brought up_ ," he mocked Kakashi's voice, bobbing his head side to side in an exaggerated fashion. "You see how badly that poor boy is suffering?! You could have at least said _something_ that may lift his spirits!" Iruka was poking his finger into Kakashi's chest as he spit out his annoyance.

Kakashi stepped back with all the pokes. "Aaww come on. Be gentle!" Kakashi whined out. "Giving in is too easy! How can they work on their issues if we are always giving them the answers!" Kakashi leaned way back as he had hit the counter and Iruka was still giving him that _'you're in trouble'_ look.

Iruka's eyes widened slightly. "Hmph…I think you're right," he mumbled slightly as he stepped back, putting a finger to his chin briefly. He then looked back at Kakashi when he heard the sigh of relief. "I'm watching you," Iruka huffed out before turning around and moving towards the kitchen sink to do dishes. Kakashi let out a quieter sigh of relief with a small smile.

==/\/\==

Naruto stepped into the cottage and was immediately bombarded by Kiba. "What the hell man! What happened to you last night! If we didn't get a call from Kakashi, we would have been out there hunting for you!" Kiba had grabbed Naruto's shoulders and was shaking the blond.

Naruto grinned sheepishly at the wolf, scratching the back of his neck. "S-sorry, sorry Kibs!" Naruto stuttered out. "Can you call the crew for a meeting? I need to discuss this with all of you." Kiba nodded and headed deeper into the house to call the pack while Naruto moved into the kitchen, pulling out a bottle of ice tea out of the fridge. He sat at the large table and waited.

After Naruto explained what happened the night before, the pack sat quietly around the table. Hinata wiped a tear away. "I'm so glad to hear your memories are returning Naruto-kun. If there is anything I can do to help…"

"Me too," Sakura piped up.

Naruto nodded. "Knowing who shot me has to be linked to who kidnapped Sasuke and when I get my hands on those _fuckers_ …" Naruto let out a snarl as he punched a fist into his hand. "Has Kyuubi been in contact at all?" The pack all shook their heads solemnly and Naruto frowned. "I'm going to update baa-chan then we can discuss our next move. We should probably meet with the Uchiha clan to assist; as there is no doubt that their clan wants to find out who was behind the kidnapping of Sasuke." The rest of the pack nodded and hummed in agreement. "Sakura and Hinata," Naruto looked to the two betas, "please contact our neighboring clan brothers and arranged a meeting for me. I'll be back later," Naruto got up and headed out.

==/\/\==

Naruto pulled up to the small cottage in the woods, jumping out of his jeep and taking long steps towards the old porch. He quickly took the steps, gave a few sharp knocks on the door before moving inside. "Baa-chan! Are you here?" Naruto bellowed inside the cottage style home.

"You trying to wake the dead brat!" a shriek yelled out from somewhere in house.

Naruto smiled as he headed straight for the kitchen. She was always in the kitchen doing something. Either cooking or scratching her mound of lotto tickets. "Grannyyyyyy!" Naruto stomped into the kitchen and quickly engulfed the busty woman into a hug. He nuzzled his nose into her neck and began sniffling. "Oh granny," he began to sniffle out. Tsunade cupped the back of Naruto's head lovingly and rubbed his back as she hushed him and let him cry out.

Several minutes later, Naruto cradled a large mug filled with an herbal tea and sat back into a small couch in the living room of the cottage. Tsunade sat across from him listening to Naruto as he told her about how his memories came flashing back like a hurricane, the emotional crash and his meeting with Sasuke at the same time. Tsunade then gave him a checkup, checking all his vitals and asking numerous questions about his physical feelings. When she was done, Naruto continued on with the plans to find out who was behind the kidnapping and shooting and why.

"I don't want your pack getting involved," Tsunade spoke in a firm voice. Naruto snapped his head up at her command. She gave him a no nonsense look. "Look brat. If there are council members involved in an underground situation, it will get messy and I would rather your pack stay out of it."

"But baa-chan…" Naruto sputtered out.

"No Naruto." She growled at him. "It will be a diplomatic nightmare that could turn bloody and the risk of losing pack mates is _not_ something I will risk! It for this reason why I didn't want our pack to involved with council, but…" she trailed off. She knew that someday she would get sucked back in and would have to pass on Naruto as her successor. How else could their pack remain respected and out of danger. The council elders looked at those packs who refused to be involved as _just_ commoners that could be replaced.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Kyuubi moved quickly through the office area heading straight for the filing cabinets behind the desk. It was almost dawn and no one should be coming in until much later in the day. His plan, simply put, was to get a copy of the list of the buyers of all the minerals. He was certain a few council members, Danzo the most, was the higher buyers of the minerals. He growled lowly as he thought about how Danzo _bought_ a young omega pup and had leashed the poor thing like an animal.

Finding the filing cabinet, he pulled the drawers only to find them locked. _'Of course, fuck!'_ he thought to himself. He turned about, wondering where the keys would be. He moved to the desk, checking all the drawers, surprised to not find them locked. He came across a thick notebook buried in the bottom drawer and it wasn't labeled but well used. He cracked it open. He pulled his phone out, activating the camera and taking a picture of the last few pages. There were list of names of persons who were invited to the upcoming auction. He would look at the names later, for now, just taking pictures would have to do. He quickly slipped it back into the desk and looked elsewhere the keys to the cabinet. His heart stopped when he heard the unmistakable click of someone moving outside the office door.

 _'Shit shit shit!'_ he chanted in his head as he whipped his head about, trying to find a place to hide. He ran towards the door and moved to stand behind it as it opened. Holding his breath, he reached behind him, pulling out a dagger and poised _just in case._

The door quickly opened quietly, and a short blond haired woman slipped into the office, dressed in black attire. She glanced about the room quickly before moving to close the door behind her. Kyuubi quickly stepped out and moved to grab the woman. Easier said then done.

The woman was quick to retaliate as she moved to grab his arm and twist it about to take control of her attacker. Kyuubi grunted out as the woman managed to twist his arm but he managed to pull her hard with him as they both crashed to the ground. The woman growled out as she hit the floor, kicking herself up quickly to get the upper hand. Kyuubi twisted himself up quickly and took a defensive stance. The night lights only showed a silhouette of the woman that reflected off her blond hair and what looked like two buns on her head. The woman quickly struck out with a growl causing Kyuubi to step back, and then she turned swiftly heading back out the door. Kyuubi managed to swing his foot out and trip her up so she stumbled just inside the door frame. He moved quickly grabbing her arms and pushing her into the floor with his knee in her back, his hands holding firmly onto the woman's wrists. The woman thrashed and snarled out, but Kyuubi held her tight snarling in return. He could inhale that the woman beneath him was an alpha. His inner alpha snarled with respect, as this young woman alpha was strong and resilient.

His breath was taken from him as a hard force slammed against him, causing him to be forced away from the woman he had secured and tumble to the floor. He thrashed about suddenly, realizing someone else had taken him by force. "What the fuck, mother fucker!" Kyuubi snarled out as the two struggled on the floor, each one trying to get a hold of the other. Kyuubi found himself face first in the floor as the two now held him tight, and he snarled his teeth out. "When I get outta this…" he snarled out, trying to look at the two who held him fast.

"You aren't in any position to make threats you fucker," a male voice snarled back at him, close to his ear.

"What are we going to do with him?" the female alpha now spoke in a harsh voice.

"Will have to take care of him then get what we came for," the male alpha responded.

Kyuubi stilled for a moment, recognizing those voices. It was young couple he saw at the auction earlier. "What he fuck you looking for," Kyuubi spat out. "There's no money here." He groaned out as the male pushed his head against the floor with a quick thump.

"Shut the fuck up! Tem, find something to tie this fucker up with," the male spat out.

"You two aren't from around here," Kyuubi grunted out. "W-what is it you lookin for."

"I said shut the fuck up!"

Kyuubi's alpha roared up in anger as he found the strength to twist himself and buck the male off of him. He twisted hard and fast, grabbing whoever was closest and slammed the other into the floor. Somehow during the chaos Kyuubi head locked the male alpha of the two, pulled his smaller knife from his shoe and held it tight to the male alpha's throat. The alpha female stance was frozen, but she looked fierce and ready to attack at any sign of an opening. When the alpha male moved, Kyuubi poked the end of the knife into his neck more, the skin not quite giving and just sinking in with the point of the knife. "Don't fucking move if you don't want me to shove this into your jugular," Kyuubi threatened out, just above a whisper. "Now tell me what the fuck you two want."

"F-fuck you!" the alpha male spat out and Kyuubi pushed a little harder which caused the male alpha to inhale quickly.

"Wait! Wait!" the female alpha called out holding up her hand. Kyuubi's eyes glared at her, pushing out the warning visually if she didn't start talking. "We—we were…"

"Shut up Tem!" the alpha male spat out warningly. Kyuubi pushed the blade again, this time a small bead of blood poked through the skin, no longer able to hold back the sharp point. The male alpha ground his teeth, supressing a groan of pain.

"Kan!" the woman alpha called out again. Kyuubi hesitated and waited for the woman to continue, nodding his head at her a couple times, telling her to go on. "We were looking for the list of buyers," she let out in whisper.

"What the fuck for?" Kyuubi growled out.

"To take down a putrid piece of rotting bastard," she hissed out. "We-we have reason to believe a conspiracy is happening, we need names."

Kyuubi didn't move but could say that he was shocked. "What kind of conspiracy?" he whispered out, tilting his head so his ear could listen to her voice, any reason he would believe she's lying. She eyed him back, a look of question and wariness.

"What's it to you? If you think for an instant that—" she snarled out with her claws extended, a killer intent on her face.

"No no…Is there the possibility…" Kyuubi pinched his lips together. Should he say something? He would completely put himself in a risky position if he let them know what he was doing here. But what if—"let's just say I'm looking for something as well." _'Might as well test the waters…'_

"What makes you think we can trust you with _anything_!" the male alpha hissed out in his grasp, giving a small struggle, testing Kyuubi's grip.

"Got a better idea?" Kyuubi squeezed the male tighter and pushed the end of the knife a bit more against his skin. "I could just kill you here, then kill your woman, then the whole reason for either of us being here would be lost," Kyuubi growled out.

The two looked at each other for a moment, Kyuubi giving that moment for the two to consider their options. Kyuubi didn't want to kill anyone, but to save his position where he is, he swallow his morals and do it. He owed to himself and his pack to protect them.

"We are looking to bring down the illegal sales from the auction," the alpha male spat out, anger lacing in the voice was obvious. "Those are our people, our **_children_** that are being sold! It's _disgusting_ and those involved deserve _death_!"

Kyuubi instantly released the alpha male, pushing him towards the alpha female, where she caught him. Both turned instantly growling at Kyuubi. The alpha males wiped at his neck, looking at the blood on his fingers and glared at Kyuubi. "Asshole!"

"I agree," Kyuubi stated, relaxing his form somewhat when the other two looked at him with slight surprise. "Not with the asshole bit," Kyuubi chuckled slightly, scratching at his cheek, "though some of my pack may disagree," he mumbled out as he gave a cheeky grin. "I agree with the illegal selling to perverted old bastards and whatnot. My name is Kyuubi," he held his hand out in greeting.

The other two gave him a warily look briefly before the male alpha made the first move. "Kankurou and this is my sister Temari." He nodded his head to the side. "We are from the Suna pack, investigating these sales to gather evidence." Kyuubi nodded in understanding. "Looks like we got a lot to talk about but we should get what we need out of here and meet elsewhere."

"I couldn't find keys to the cabinet, but got picture on my phone of the list of guests." Kyuubi pulled out his phone and waved it.

The woman alpha, known as Temari, smirked, "let me at that cabinet." She pulled out a contraption that held several small tools.

Sometime later, Kyuubi uploaded all the pictures onto Kankurou and Temari's computer and the three discussed the names and clans involved. Their frustrations rose as they identified at least three clans that were involved on the council and their heads were seen purchasing goods.

"This is sick," Kankurou snarled out. "We need to get this back to Suna and start our next plan. "When's the next auction?"

"They are usually every 4 to 6 weeks, here that is. I'm not sure if they have them in other locations. I think with how well unknown this place is, barely any sites for tourists, the town is quite low scale so it's easier for people to come and not make a spectacle." Kyuubi rubbed his chin in thought.

Temari slapped her book shut and moved all the information on the computer onto a flash drive. Afterwards she deleted everything that had to do with this evening and filled it up with various pictures of her and her brother during vacations. Kyuubi looked on with interest. "In case it ever gets confiscated, I always put a shit load of boring vacation pictures on it." Temari shrugged before powering if off and slipping it into her bag. "We will head back in the morning. We may get another invite, so if that happens, we will be in touch." She winked at Kyuubi.

Kyuubi nodded in agreement, thanked the two siblings and made his way out. He had a lot of thinking and planning to do, especially what his next move was going to be. He could probably get a hold of his pack, but was it a good time yet? Did he have enough to go on that Tsunade-sama should be involved? He didn't want his pack to be in any danger for what he was doing. Kyuubi shook his head as he walked the through the still quiet streets. The town hadn't started waking yet, but should be soon.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Sasuke made his way across campus grass, books in hand and his travel cup in another. Since the incident he no longer would buy coffee or tea, he made it at home and brought it with him. He kept an eye out all around him, a habit now formed from the fear of having any unknowns approach him. His nerves were somewhat on alert, his wolf always nudging at him, letting him know that he wasn't alone and was thankful. Since his memory from the awful situation that occurred at the club last week, he felt his nerves had heightened but was set on getting back to normal. His brother was continuously consulting now with Kakashi and the pack on any clues to where Sai may have gone since Naruto remembered it was Sai that shot him, Sai was the one who most likely drugged him and dragged him away and of course trying to gather more evidence on what Orochimaru was doing. Sasuke still didn't remember much of that event and who kidnapped him.

He saw the building he was heading for coming into view and focused his site on the doors. His wolf suddenly jerked against his senses when he caught the scent of citrus. His skin broke in goosebumps and his wolf pushed harder against him, wanting to seek out the scent. _'NO!'_ he disciplined his wolf. He hoped that the familiar scent who he thought it was. He hadn't seen nor heard from that alpha since the incident at the bar. And as far as he was concerned, it was thankful that the one meeting was all that had happened. What had he expected? That the alpha would come begging him, groveling at his feet or something to that matter? _'Hmph, ridiculous,'_ he thought to himself. He had long convinced himself, _or had he…_ that it was better this way. He nearly flipped and released a howl when he heard quickened footsteps coming up from behind him. His heart thumped hard against his chest as he kept a straight walk towards the building. _'Stop it! It's not him,'_ he chanted to himself and his wolf. His wolf clawed at his emotions, demanding that Sasuke stop and look towards the steps. He felt a shiver of fear when the footsteps appeared to draw closer to him, but he took several breaths and continued walking.

"Hey! Hey!" An all too familiar voice called out through the wind. Sasuke chose to ignore and continued his pace. "Hey! Please," the voice called out again, almost sounding desperate. The footsteps thudded up to him and Sasuke turned and growled as he felt something brush against his arm.

"What!" Sasuke barked out, his eyes glaring at the person who dare tough him. He could feel his nerves on edge and his heart was beating so hard, he thought for a moment he might faint.

Blue eyes widened in surprise but instantly softened to an apology as the tall blond alpha drew back a step. His breath was quick as he just was running and was blowing softly between lips as the blond alpha grasped his shoulder pack strap as a lifeline. "Umm, hi," the blond stammered out. "I-I wanted t-t-to—"

"Not interested," Sasuke spat out as he took steps back. "I have nothing to say to you, so just—just stay away from me," Sasuke whispered out harshly through clenched teeth. His wolf howled in agony within him, not happy with how Sasuke brushed the alpha off and it caused Sasuke to twitch slightly with discomfort.

"Are you alright?" the blond alpha asked as he noticed the slight discomfort Sasuke felt. "Since that night, you know, with the bottle and-and…" The blond trailed off as he brought a hand to the back of his neck and squeezed. "I was worried."

Sasuke snorted out a sarcastic sound. "Whatever." He then turned to walk away.

"Wait! Sasuke please…" Naruto stepped forward quickly, intent on following the angry raven alpha. "I—I was hoping…"

"Fuck off Naruto," Sasuke spat out as he continued walking towards the building.

"Please Sasuke! I miss you!" Naruto called out in desperation.

"Piss off! You made it quite clear that day…" Sasuke trailed off. His wolf felt the pain of rejection that day in the hospital and Sasuke nursed that hurt. It's what helped him remind himself and his wolf that they were better off alone.

"That's not fair Sas!" Naruto continued to walk a distance behind Sasuke. "You know I wasn't well. I couldn't remember…" Naruto's voice sounded painfully hurt.

Sasuke stopped suddenly. Naruto did as well, not coming closer to him and respecting his space. Clenching his fists he took in a deep breath. It wasn't fair, Naruto was right, and it wasn't fair of him to hold that against him, but still. "Look Naruto," Sasuke started out, his back still facing the blond alpha. "I'm sorry that happened to you, I'm glad you healed and I hope all the best that your pack brings justice to the guilty. But," Sasuke hesitated, finding the right words. "But your wolf made it clear that it wasn't interested and you—you should forget about w-what we did." Sasuke remembered all too clearly the threatening aura that Naruto released in the hospital room. He felt his eyes sting with the threatening of tears but he bit the inside of his cheek, refusing them any release. Sasuke's wolf decided this wasn't what it wanted to happen and slammed against his mental walls. It howled in agony and despair as it struggled to right what it believed was wrong. Sasuke squinted as he breathed through the pain, flexing his palms as he willed the pain to pass.

Naruto felt the despair of the wolf calling out in front of him and his own inner wolf snarled out, demanding to console the one before him. He gasped at the sudden onslaught of emotions from both wolves, stumbling slightly stepping back and his hand clenching his chest quickly. _'What is this?'_ He struggled to calm his wolf, but it wouldn't have it and suddenly Naruto wanted to gather up the other grumpy alpha and… but Sasuke was now walking away. "Sas…" Naruto whispered out as he watched the raven haired man quicken his step and disappear inside the building.

Naruto stood for several minutes, catching his breath and racking his mind on what was going on. He went over Sasuke's last words stating his wolf rejecting him. An instant pain hit him hard behind his eyes and he cringed. This was a norm when he was trying to remember lately, a pain that Iruka said was normal and that he needs to not push it. But—but _this, **THIS** _was so frustrating! He took several breaths before moving on to this next class. "I'm not giving up on you Sasuke," he whispered to himself.

After his class, Naruto headed straight home, determined to get what he needed out of his head. His wolf certainly had not let him forget the interaction with the raven. It pushed and pushed all throughout the afternoon and Naruto was left feeling anxious and irritated. He jotted some notes on a loose leaf to help ease the stress, but the wolf wouldn't let up. He pushed his jeep to the max and skidded into the driveway. He jumped out from his jeep, shoulder bag in hand and trotted his way into his home wasting no time in heading straight to his room. His pack didn't seem to be home at the moment, _good_ , he thought, he didn't want any disturbances. Pulling out his papers, he grabbed his notebook and began to scribble as fast as he could, sucking in his bottom lip on regular intervals.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Sasuke slammed the door open and closed to the Uchiha home, growling under his breath as he removed his shoes and jacket. Deidara peeked around the corner giving Sasuke a welcome home and was met with an icy glare in response before Sasuke stomped his way off to his room.

"Well, someone is grouchy," Deidara folded his arms and snorted out. "Perhaps our boy needs an afternoon nap?" He snickered lightly. Itachi came from behind him and wrapped his arms around the omega. Deidara leaned back against the alpha and sighed out.

"I'll go talk to him," Itachi whispered in Deidara's ear before giving him a kiss on his temple and headed up the stairs, following his little brother.

Sasuke was flipping out various books from his bag and slamming them on his desk. He had work to do and was adamant on getting started and losing himself in it. _Stupid alpha, stupid blond, stupid wolf!_ His thoughts were continuously on his interaction with Naruto today and he hadn't been able to stop thinking about. He growled to himself as the books he pulled out continued to be the focus of his wrath.

"Dear otouto, whatever have those books done to receive such treatment?" A teasing voice came from Sasuke's door and Sasuke whipped his head at the voice, throwing his brother a glare before continuing on with his mission. "Sasuke," Itachi gave a firm tone.

Sasuke knew that tone. It was the tone that a parent would often give a guilty child to get that child the opportunity to speak the truth. He ignored him and kept his back to the alpha.

"Sasuke enough." Itachi's tone was meaning business this time. Sasuke snorted in response. "Talk to me little brother."

Sasuke stopped and leaned forward against the desk. He leaned on his fists and pounded the desk with both hands before turning to look at Itachi. "Naruto found me at uni," he breathed out, his eyes lowered and jaw firm. Sasuke wanted to stay angry, it was easier to deal with the onslaught of emotions his wolf wouldn't stop triggering when he was angry. Itachi sat on the edge of Sasuke's bed, looking to getting settled but said nothing. "I told him to leave me alone and my wolf won't shut the fuck up. It's giving me a continuous headache." Sasuke huffed out and turned his head, looking to the side and not at Itachi. The silence that continued left Sasuke slightly unnerved.

"Otouto," Itachi called out softly. "I cannot fathom how you are feeling but always know, I am here for you." He stood then, moving to stand before his little brother. The smaller omega did not move, but Itachi could see his body trembling slightly and hear his raged breath. He placed a hand on his shoulder gently, "and so is your wolf. I know you have not been bonded for long, but put your trust in your wolf as well as your aniki." Sasuke inhaled deeply and let out a shuddering breath. "You are absolutely brilliant and I have the utmost faith that you will figure out what to do for you and your wolf," Itachi whispered as he leaned forward and planted a kiss on Sasuke's forehead. He then left the room with Sasuke watching him. He relaxed his shoulders, his wolf apparently settled somewhat after the alpha left and Sasuke squeezed the bridge of his nose. He settled into his desk chair hard, releasing a long huff and then started massaging his temples. What was he to do? Moving on and forgetting about the blond alpha was the best decision, wasn't it? His inner wolf pushed hard against his mental pain again at the mere mention of that. _'Okay okay, I'll consider the alpha.'_ The pain immediately dispersed and Sasuke breathed out a sigh of relief. He had a lot of thinking to do apparently.


	19. Chapter 19

Come hither, here is another chapter. I know its a little short, but my feet got cold and I needed to post something before I went and slid my cold toes on my partner. XD

So with Naruto Shippuden playing in the background for the past two weeks, as my youngest binges it, how could I not be inspired to write and write and write some more :D

Please enjoy! This chapter I wanted to add a little bit of information regarding our background characters. Wanna comment? By all means do so, they are enjoyable to read.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Itachi sat with Kakashi, Tsunade and Gaara in a small room at the Uchiha residence. Gaara had contacted the group with news of his siblings return from the auction that was held.

"Kankurou and Temari had returned just the other day from where the auction was held with intel from the office there. First of all, I would like to inform Tsunade," Gaara's teal eyes flickered to the elder alpha leader. "Kankurou and Temari had met a surprising ally." Tsunade squinted her eyes in confusion. "It so happened they met up with a spunky young alpha by the name of Kyuubi." Tsunade and Kakashi gasped in unison. Gaara smirked. "It appears that Kyuubi has become a member of the _sale team_." Gaara held up his hand and shook his head when the crew turned in unison with looks of murder intent. "Before you all get to guessing what role Kyuubi has, they all managed to talk and Kyuubi managed to get himself involved undercover. He had made himself trustworthy so he could get inside and gather intel. Apparently his pack does not know where he is or what he has been up to."

"Little brat," Tsunade began. "What the hell was he thinking?! Obviously he didn't think about the risks he is putting his pack into not to mention himself!"

"I am sure his thoughts at the time were for the best of the clan and though his unexpected hasty decision may not have been the best thought out," Tsunade snorted out at this. "His currently situation will most likely give us an advantage now." Itachi folded his fingers together on the table. "Tell us more Gaara."

Gaara continued to explain the information that was gathered and that Kankurou and Temari were waiting on another invitation to the next gathering. "Should they get another invitation, I believe we should utilize that time to make our next move. Should an invitation not be received, communication with Kyuubi may be beneficial to find out when the next auction is. Either way, we should make compile our plans for that time." All heads nodded in agreement. The group then continued on with what sort of evidence Kankurou and Temari, along with Kyuubi were able to gather, and discuss their plan.

"Was there any more information regarding Sasuke's memories Itachi?" Gaara had asked Itachi after the groups previous discussion was over.

Itachi leaned back in his chair and sighed slightly. "Sasuke has only recalled the voice of Orochimaru while he was held. His memory does not show any signs of where he may have been. But," he hesitated for a moment. "Judging by the injuries on him when we found him, I would think that he was continuously drugged during his time wherever he was."

"I have to agree," Kakashi piped up. "The injuries suggested that he was most likely intravenously pumped full of who knows what. Most likely supplements to keep him alive and drugs to keep him weak. It is lucky at all he could recall a voice."

"Gathering up the information we have gathered from Sasuke and Naruto we can be certain that it was Sai that kidnapped Sasuke and shot Naruto. Unfortunately, no one has been able to locate Sai at all. If Sai kidnapped Sasuke, we can assume that he did so for Orochimaru and himself. I am aware of what history Sasuke had last with Orochimaru." Kakashi shook his head sadly recalling when Itachi and the pack had brought Sasuke back from one of the labs they could only assume was run by Orochimaru. There was never any evidence of Orochimaru owning or running that lab, only based on Sasuke's story about running to him.

"Without solid evidence, I do not believe we could bring a charge against Orochimaru," Gaara added. "But with what we have now, we can at least start with Danzo." The group agreed.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Naruto fidgeted with the item in his pocket of his jacket as he made his way across the green grass on the campus grounds. To say he was nervous, was a slight understatement. A full week had passed from his last interaction with Sasuke and the smaller alpha let it be known that it would be difficult to get back into his good graces. Within the last week Naruto had practically written a novel on the memories that just kept coming and that seemed to have no end. His hand cramped on several occasions but through all the irritation, headaches and hand cramps, Naruto was able to put together the time line of the times he and Sasuke had met. Feeling achievement, he recalled where his courting was going and decided that he may as well try and put it back into action. So with a straight back, a somewhat confident attitude, he grabbed the item and headed to class early with hopes to run into Sasuke.

Naturally, as luck would have, there he was, making his way across the green towards the library. Naruto figured that Sasuke would be there, as he usually was before all the shit went down, and he changed his destination to follow the raven haired man.

Sasuke quickened his step as he made his way towards the library. He had his order of books to pick up before heading home. His wolf suddenly quivered in excitement and Sasuke stumbled slightly at the intensity of it. He huffed out knowing only one thing could get his wolf that excited. He righted his step and continued on towards his destination, though he slowed slightly, but he wouldn't admit it. His ears picked up the hurried steps that he now could identify as the blond alpha coming up behind him. His lips gave a small smile together with the thrilled emotions coming from his inner wolf.

"Hey Sasuke," the alpha called out softly yet loud enough to make sure he was heard but not startle the other. Sasuke didn't stop but tilted his head slightly to show that he had heard the alpha. The blond fell into step with Sasuke, but kept a respectable social distance. "How are you feeling?" Naruto felt to start a conversation with something neutral.

"Hn," Sasuke responded as he continued to walk.

"I hope that means you're feeling better ya know," Naruto chuckled lightly. Naruto caught the familiar scent of earth and anger and his inner wolf was hazy with excitement at the scents of the other wolf. "So, will you, umm… be in the library long?"

"I don't stay in the library anymore," Sasuke spoke out with a sad tone. "I'm going to pick up my order."

"Oh, well yeah, that makes sense." Naruto brought a hand back to his neck, pulling slightly at his neck hairs. He hadn't expected Sasuke to not stay at the library. The plan was to sit with the black haired alpha in the library, hopeful that they could chat a little. To hell with his class that he was obviously missing now. "Do—do you have class afterwards?"

"No."

"Plans after?" Naruto suddenly sounded hopeful.

"I have assignments to work on—at home." Sasuke added that last bit of finality in his voice. He had reached his destination and stopped on the bottom step of the stone steps that lead up to the library. He turned suddenly, adamant on asking the blond alpha what the hell it was he wanted. His breath hitched as he caught the citrus scent of the blond alpha and he had to squint his eyes as the sun reflected off the golden locks. Naruto looked as he was a child of the sun. With his hair sparkling, his sun kissed skin that glowed and his ocean coloured eyes had Sasuke's heart flutter suddenly. His wolf purred out with acceptance at the site and urged Sasuke to reach out and envelop himself into the strong alpha's arms. When Sasuke saw Naruto in the hospital, he was still healing and was somewhat pale and thinner. At the club, Sasuke certainly wasn't in any frame of mind to appreciate the alpha. But now, here in the sun, where Sasuke could see the defined muscles behind the cotton shirt within his open jacket, his broad shoulders and his jeans hugging his strong legs. Naruto was certainly the stereotypical match of the definition of a strong handsome alpha.

"Sas? Sasuke? You okay?"

Sasuke shook his head suddenly, realizing that Naruto was calling out and waving his hand at him. He folded his arms across his chest and gave Naruto a stare. "Spit out what you want dobe," he growled out, trying to sound irritated but failing.

Naruto beamed a smile, his eyes sparkling like the Caribbean beach on a cloudless day. "Can I invite you to java or tea? My treat!"

His whole aura reeked with hope and happiness, and Sasuke felt that he could almost be pushed down just from that alone! He eyed Naruto, as if pondering his answer. Sasuke, by instinct, wanted to say not a chance, but because of their last meeting….well… "Okay." Naruto's mouth hung open, his eyes stared straight forward and his whole body seemed to freeze. Sasuke smirked out, "hold it open any longer and you will attract flies, dobe."

Naruto snapped his mouth shut with a snap and jerked his head up at the comment. "W-What did you say?" Naruto stuttered out.

Sasuke twerked an eyebrow up at the blond questionably but humoured him, "Your mouth dobe. Close it before you catch flies." He snorted out a chuckle before turning and heading up the stairs. "I'll be right back out," he called out and lifted his hand.

Naruto began screaming in his head a victory cry as he recalled that last comment. He remembered where Sasuke had said it before, the night in the coffee shop after his shift. He was completely giddy with the excitement of going out with Sasuke again and that he could remember that night clearly. Naruto pumped his fist and hissed out a _yyyeeesssss_ in celebration.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Kyuubi nursed a drink at the bar while Nagato wiped the area over and over. Kyuubi noticed the old wolf was stealing glances at him now and then. He wondered if the old wolf wanted to say something, though he couldn't imagine what he would want to say, considering since Kyuubi joined up with the 'club' for the auction, Nagato had made his disappointment known through his silence. Kyuubi just ran a finger around the rim of his glass, watching the condensation run down the outside. It was midday, and the pack that rough necks he worked with probably wouldn't be in today since a sale was just finished not but a week or so ago.

"Look like you've lost your buddies today," Nagato growled quietly as he wiped a bit closer to Kyuubi. Kyuubi answered with a sarcastic snort. "Didn't think you could go anywhere without them these days." Kyuubi then gave him a glance, a sign he heard him. Nagato couldn't read the expression on Kyuubi but he could tell that what he said irritated the young alpha. Nagato sighed loudly, "well I guess that's how a lot of young 'un's think now a days. Can't do anything independently anymore, always need a second ormore than one to back em up." He snorted out slightly at his comment. Nagato had seen his fair share of wolves while working a bar for several years. And after the falling out with Yahiko, it just seemed to heighten his vision on the type of persons that visited the bar.

"The world isn't always what you think it is you know," Kyuubi grumbled out as he continued to hunch over his drink. "Ever hear of don't judge a book by its cover? Don't ever assume that your eyes tell the whole story? Figured an old fart like you would have heard many by now," Kyuubi huffed out.

"True, true. You got me there," Nagato just chuckled lightly as he grabbed some clean glasses and began to stack them. "But then you got, fool me once shame on me, food me twice, shame on you. With sayings like that, why would one want to trust anyone then for fear they are going to get stabbed in the back?" Purple eyes then held steady at Kyuubi.

Kyuubi's brows wrinkled as he sat up straight at looked at Nagato. "Are you implying something about me old man?" Kyuubi felt a stab of hurt. Did Nagato really feel that Kyuubi betrayed him? How the fuck?

"If the shoe fits." Nagato simply shrugged before turning and stacking more glasses.

Kyuubi was speechless. He couldn't explain why he was here, what he was doing, as that information would only put Nagato and Konan in danger. "You don't have a clue on what I'm going through right now, so you have no right—"

"Can't have a clue unless you share right?" Nagato didn't look his way. "But then I guess you really don't know much about me either, but what we talked about in the beginning."

Kyuubi felt that stab. Sure Nagato and Konan were hesitant and cautious at the start, but they did start sharing more information, personal information, with him as they talked more often. "It's better to not be involved," Kyuubi mumbled out as he took a swig of his drink.

Nagato stopped stacking glasses before turning to look back at Kyuubi, his purple eyes glaring at him. "Are you sure about that?" Kyuubi didn't answer. Nagato sighed as he moved to stand in front of Kyuubi. "Look kid, take a lesson would ya? Sometimes you just can't let life happen to you, you have to make life happen. Life is all about choices and mistakes, and you know, you are gonna make a whole lot of both of em!" Nagato then took his bold move and ruffled the red hair of the young alpha. Kyuubi pulled back sputtering out like a kid, Nagato just chuckled before he moved back to his dishes.

Kyuubi ran his hands over his hair, getting it back in control before he nodded his head slightly and smiled. "You know you're annoying at your age," Kyuubi teased quietly.

"Look who's talking," Nagato snapped right back, mirth in his voice.

"Touché," Kyuubi chuckled and nodded his head. "Got me there old man." He threw Nagato a warm smile. Nagato just clicked his tongue at him and continued to go about his work.

A short while later Nagato brought out a beef dip and fries, placing it before Kyuubi. "Can't talk on an empty stomach. Another ancient lesson to learn pup," Nagato winked before grabbing a stool and sitting across from Kyuubi, purple eyes giving a soft look. Kyuubi glanced behind him warily. "Ah it's still early. Nobody else here that matters. Go on, eat."

Kyuubi thanked for the food before digging in. The beef, as always was soft, juicy and just the right heat. Kyuubi felt his eyes roll up as his taste buds exploded with excitement. "MMph, as always, sooooo good," Kyuubi said in between bites. Nagato just grinned. Smacking his lips as he swallowed, Kyuubi smiled in return. "I'm not what you think I am," he whispered out. "So please, just bear with me. That's all I dare say, for both of your safety," Kyuubi added.

Nagato gave a firm nod. "Another drink?" he asked as he moved towards the other end of the bar to the bottles. He began to mix another drink when Kyuubi nodded his head in response. "Well, I'll believe you," he stated before placing a new drink in front of Kyuubi. "But only because you haven't done anything towards us that would suggest you would give us harm. But I'll talk to Konan, I know she's been slightly troubled since, well, you know." He shrugged out. "She really likes yah you know," he smirked and winked. "But remember what I said," he pointed straight into Kyuubi's nose, "she's mine!" Nagato pressed his lips into a frown, his purple eyes squinting at him promising a world of hurt should Kyuubi not take the warning.

Kyuubi eyes widened slightly, staring at the older beta wolf in shock, still holding part of his sandwich in midair. Nagato burst out laughing at the site and patted Kyuubi's head before moving back to the other end of the bar. Kyuubi swallowed the lump of food that was in his mouth and let out a big breath. Holy, that old man was something else. He inwardly smiled and continued on his food feeling a bit lighter knowing that Nagato and he talked somewhat.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Naruto walked along side Sasuke down the sidewalk in comfortable silence. The air was warm, the sun was shining down and Naruto felt light and excited. The quiet setting in the coffee shop had both of them conversing on light subjects such as classes, weather and pack members. Neither discussed previous traumatic events as Naruto figured that for one, Sasuke certainly wasn't ready for that and neither was he for that matter, and two, Naruto wanted to set the atmosphere between them as smoothly as possible. Recalling how stoic the alpha is, inhaling his constant scent of anger and understanding the introvert ways of Sasuke, Naruto was certain to make this as easy as possible for Sasuke. At this current moment, he considered the meeting a success and was ecstatic when Sasuke allowed him to walk him to his car. With his hands shoved in his jacket pocket, his fingers continuously caressing the item tucked away in there, he felt his heart begin to quicken as their short walk was coming to an end.

"Say Sasuke," Naruto began and Sasuke tilted his head to inform that he heard him. "So, ummm, thanks for sitting with me today. I really enjoyed talking with you." Naruto couldn't hold back a smile as he looked towards the smaller alpha. "And—and if it's okay with you, I'd love to do this again?"

Sasuke looked over at the blond alpha. He smirked as he saw the familiar motion as Naruto brought his hand to the back of his neck, most likely pulling at the hairs on his neck, as he nervously asked the question. _'Hmmm, this could be fun…' he inwardly chuckled._ "Like—a _date?_ " Sasuke laughed on the inside as Naruto suddenly stumbled over his own feet, his eyes wide and surprised and Sasuke quickly grabbed the dobe's arm to steady him. "Careful idiot, I've got enough to carry and I can't carry you too." Sasuke tried to sound irritated but he knew he failed.

Naruto stammered to his feet again, running his fingers feverishly through his hair as he coughed out a thank you and caught his balance. His arm was radiating with heat where Sasuke had grabbed him and he savored the feeling. Sasuke's hand was still on his forearm and he secretly hoped that Sasuke wouldn't remove it anytime soon. "Uhh, sorry sorry. I'm such a klutz sometimes." Naruto began to walk beside Sasuke again and frowned slightly when Sasuke removed his hand. "S-So another outing, yeah—umm, not like a date per say, but—well I guess maybe?" Naruto stuttered suddenly. _'Why is this so fucking hard?'_ "B-but no!" Naruto shouted out when Sasuke turned his head and gave a glare. "It's just a coffee date! No wait! I don't mean _date!_ Well, it on a day which is technically—"

"Dobe, stop rambling," Sasuke chuckled with a firm tone. The firm jaw clicked shut and a pout protruded out from the blond alpha. Sasuke couldn't help but to smile at cute pout as they came up to his car. Their outing was over. The omega wolf purred loudly, causing Sasuke's skin to tingle as he loaded his books and bag into the car. He turned to face the blond alpha when he closed the car door and was faced with the soft smile, radiant cobalt eyes and sun kissed skin that made his knees almost buckle. The overwhelming scent of the blond alpha had Sasuke's wolf practically salivating and clawing at sensory areas that Sasuke was certain he never felt before. He leaned back against the car and quickly folded his arms across his chest, looking nonchalant as possible.

"So, umm Sasuke," the blond faltered his words as he stepped closer and Sasuke suddenly held up his hand, stopping the blond in his tracks. "Sorry, sorry, I understand," Naruto took a small step back from the sudden startled alpha before him. It was so hard to keep his wolf away from the other, but Naruto was not going to rush this. Sasuke needed time. Naruto inhaled deeply, finding Sasuke's earthy scent calming and the slight anger scent that was always there, but it was so _Sasuke_ , that Naruto couldn't find a reason to question it anymore. "How about tomorrow?" Naruto asked with a slight tilt to his head.

Sasuke pulled out his phone and swiped. "Give me your number, I'll text you when I know." Sasuke felt he was blinded when Naruto grinned wide.

Naruto was beaming from ear to ear as he watched Sasuke drive off. _'Sweet! This worked out great!'_ He felt his wolf trembling with excitement at seeing Sasuke again and Naruto felt like dancing on the spot. He waved to the back end of Sasuke's car, not caring if Sasuke saw him or not and shoved his hands in his pockets, his one hand falling onto the item tucked inside. "Ah **shit!** " he called out in frustration. In all his excitement and thrill, he completely forgot to give the item to Sasuke. He ran his hand through his hair, blowing out an over exaggerated breath before relaxing his shoulders. _'Ah well, next time.'_ He smiled to himself again and walked with a slight skip in his step.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

"Konan, a word please?" Nagato called out when he entered the small one room apartment that part of the building that the bar was in. He had just finished the closing procedures and locked up. He told Konan that he would finish up and let her head home. He noticed that Konan was quieter than usual in the past few weeks and he couldn't say that he wasn't worried. He knew that she was a strong omega, who often voiced her mind and in some cases could fight her way through an argument and be victorious. "Are you in here?" Well that was a silly question, he could smell her in here, but couldn't help but ask anyhow.

"Hmm?" Konan called out from the one bedroom. Nagato made his way into bedroom and found his blue haired omega lying on the bed reading a book. He settled on the edge of the bed and brought her feet onto his lap. He began to rub the soft skin and rubbed his thumbs on the arch of her foot. She gave out a pleased moan at the gentle caresses and she dropped her book, eyes closed.

"I'm worried about you. What bothers you?" Nagato whispered out gently as he continued to rub her feet. He knew that she became putty in his hands if he rubbed her aching feet. She fluttered her golden eyes opened and settled them on Nagato's face. _'She looks exhausted,'_ Nagato thought to himself. When she didn't answer he prodded again with the same question and more concern in his voice.

"Nagato?" she asked quietly.

"Hmm?" Nagato responded immediately.

"Do you ever wonder if maybe…maybe we should leave?"

Nagato's hands briefly stopped massaging Konan. He didn't expect this. "Leave? Where?"

Konan rolled onto her back, removing her feet from Nagato's lap and laid out starfish like on the bed, her eyes staring at the ceiling. "I dunno. It's just…" she trailed off.

Nagato turned to lie beside her, draping his arm over her chest and resting his head on her pillow, next to hers. "Go on. Tell me."

"I feel like—like we are attributing to the shit that keeps happening. And—and it's not right Nagato! I don't want to keep doing this! My heart can't take it anymore!" Her voice began to quiver the more she went on. A tear slipped from her eye and Nagato touched it softly with a finger. "I don't want to be here anymore," she began to sob out. "Especially now."

Nagato moved to pull Konan into his chest while leaning against the headboard, tucking her head under his chin. She shook slightly as she cried and the tears quietly released into his shirt. He held her and stroked her hair as she let it out. He could understand her struggle. It hadn't been easy since Yahiko left them so long ago after the disagreement. It was so long ago Nagato couldn't even recall what the original argument was about. He missed the other beta and he knew Konan did to. They were a trio after all, having grown up together and having been through experiences like a full pack would. And then when they were in danger of losing everything financially, the council gave them an offer that appeared to be a saviour for them, until things started to turn to the way it is now. He couldn't imagine what they would be threatened with should they leave though. "I'm here for you love, no matter what, we will make it through." He kissed the crown of her head.

Konan lifted her head up to look into Nagato's purple eyes. She saw love and respect in those eyes and her wolf tremored feeling protected and safe with this man. "Nagato," she whispered out. "I'm scared."

Nagato's heart broke, feeling his mate's fear and he hugged her in close. "I know baby, hold on okay? I promise I'll look after you."

"But can you protect us both…" Konan trailed off as she tried to snuggle in tighter to Nagato. She felt Nagato stiffen in question. She gave a sad smile he couldn't see and reached for Nagato's hand. She pulled it down and nestled it onto her abdomen. "Can you promise to protect us both?" She then looked back up to wide shocked purple eyes that began to shimmer with tears. Leaving his hand on her small swollen abdomen, she brought her hand up to cup Nagato's cheek. "Promise me," she whispered as she brought her lips to kiss his.

"I promise," Nagato chocked out in a whisper as he rubbed gentle circles on Konan's tummy, dropping his head to kiss his mate and silent tears slipped down his cheeks.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

I am found on tumblr, you can put me in the search bar as 'heartsns or inluvwnaruto' ! I printed my other story, TELL ME and it is also available for purchase if you like! (you only pay for shipping and printing)

The most amazing artist SoraROCK made the cover for it, and what a talent she has! I was SO lucky she chose me to make a cover for TELL ME!


	20. Chapter 20

Naruto was sitting under a tree on the campus grounds, picking at the slender grass aimlessly. He appeared lost in thought when his lips curled up into a smile when a ladybug crawled up his fingers. Naruto watched the small being wander across his knuckle and up to his hand before taking flight. His eyes watching the bug lazily fly off and land somewhere else.

"Hey dobe," a familiar voice called out. "Your friend get tired of your conversation already?" A chuckle escaped Sasuke's lips as he stopped near Naruto.

"Ha-Ha, ya jerk," Naruto stuck his tongue out and hopped up from the grass. "I'm driving today, so let's head'r, I want to take you to a place that I think you will enjoy." Naruto beamed a smile at Sasuke before turning and heading in the direction of his jeep.

"Hn," Sasuke responded, picking up his step behind the blond. The two had been continuously communicating via texting for the last day and a bit and Sasuke would admit, to himself and his wolf, that it was enjoyable. The two never talked about _what happened_ , but they conversations were light, humorous and Sasuke had found himself looking forward to the familiar 'ping' of a message coming in as of late. Sasuke jumped into the familiar jeep, enjoying the soft breeze and bright sun of the day while Naruto drove to wherever.

Sometime later, the blond pulled into a parking lot near the sea shore and by a quaint building that looked like a rustic restaurant. The blond had driven quite the ways off the main roadways and taken a secondary road to an area that was rich with forest. Sasuke had to admit he wasn't aware of this area, but that didn't surprise him since he was never one to wander to social places. Too many people wasn't his style. He snickered to himself thinking how odd that was since he worked in his brother's bar.

"Come Sasuke, I can't wait to show you what this place has to offer!" Naruto waved his arm to Sasuke when they both hopped out of the jeep. Both men walked the path that went around to the other side of the building that faced the ocean.

Sasuke was impressed. The small rustic building had large windows that faced the sea and Sasuke could see the numerous small tables that were set up inside through the windows. A patio was set up with glass walls and trellis roof, with several vines growing through the trellis that provided shade over the outdoor tables. When Sasuke entered the building behind Naruto, his nose was hit with the warm scents of coffees, teas and spices causing his eyes to flutter in euphoria. He couldn't remember any other time in his life walking into such a Zen type atmosphere. He didn't even realize that the blond alpha had gently guided him to a small table in the far corner but against the large glass windows.

"So, do you like it?" Naruto smirked out and waggled his eyebrows at the hazed over eyes of Sasuke.

"Dobe! What is this place?" Sasuke's eyes began to come back into the reality he was in and took in the décor. It was decorated to compliment the seashore, which wasn't surprising, but it was tasteful.

"Came across this place a long time ago." Naruto looked out the window, his eyes seemed to be lost in thought. "I enjoy how it looks out over the sea but I found their treats were like no other." He looked towards Sasuke with a soft smile. "It isn't a restaurant, more of a tearoom. They offer a huge selection of coffee and tea and of course the sweets to go with it." Naruto pulled a small one page menu from between the sugar and honey holder that was placed on every table. "They do offer a couple warm dishes, but it's limited. Well you can see for yourself," he chuckled lightly as he pushed the menu across the table to Sasuke.

"Ah Naruto-kun, it is good to see you," a small voice called out. Sasuke turned to see an elderly lady, adorned in an apron, her silver hair tied up in a bun with a few loose strands framing her face. She gave them both a kind smile. Sasuke couldn't help but smile back, as he and his wolf could feel the kind aura radiating off this woman.

"Chiyo-chan!" Naruto flashed a brilliant smile and grabbed the elderly lady's hand. "How are you? You are looking amazing!" Naruto patted and squeezed the older woman's hand before releasing it.

"Oh Naruto-kun you smooth talker," Chiyo blushed slightly and shoo'd her hands at him. "Who is this handsome young alpha with you?" Sasuke found him face heating up embarrassed and quickly lowered his eyes. Chiyo just coo'd at him.

"Oh Chiya-chan! This is Sasuke!" Naruto perked up suddenly. "I was just telling him about how wonderful this place is! Sasuke this is Chiyo-chan!" Naruto patted Sasuke's hand that was the table.

Sasuke's heart fluttered suddenly at Naruto's sudden touch and from the warm aura that settled over the table he was certain was coming from Chiyo-chan. "P-pleasure," Sasuke stuttered out and he instantly berated himself for sounding so pathetic and weak. He cleared his throat and brought his eyes up to meet soft deep brown. "You have a lovely place," Sasuke gave the elderly woman a nod and a soft smile. His fingers fiddled with each other.

"Thank you Sasuke-kun," Chiyo whispered out. "I'll be back to take your orders boys." She nodded with a soft smile and walked away.

Naruto chatted away while the two sipped on their drinks and looked over the sea shore. Sasuke let the flow of the afternoon wash over him; his wolf enjoying the attention the alpha was giving, the calming scent of the tea room and the sparkling view. For once, Sasuke felt himself feeling at ease and his wolf hummed in contentment.

==/\/\==

Naruto pulled his jeep up to Sasuke's car in the campus parking lot. "Well, here we are," Naruto broke the silence. He turned his head to see the raven staring out the side window, not moving, not talking, just staring. "Sas? Are you—"

"Naruto," Sasuke breathed out, interrupting Naruto. "I—I wanted to say…" he trailed off.

Naruto could hear the other's breath quivering and the alpha's heart ached to comfort the other, but he waited. Sasuke wanted to say something and Naruto knew how difficult it could be for the stoic alpha to speak his feelings.

"Itachi told me what happened with Sai, at the university…though I don't really remember," Sasuke whispered out strongly. "And—and I wanted to say I'm s-sorry…for what happened to you." Sasuke took a deep breath, biting the inside of his cheek so he could continue saying what he needed to. "It's my fault that—that you—that you—"

"Sasuke no," Naruto interrupted Sasuke. He could not allow Sasuke to feel this way. To feel like he was to blame. "Don't think that what happened is on you, understand?" Naruto's voice was soft yet firm with authority.

Sasuke shook his head, his hands clenched his jeans but he would not look at the blond. "Naruto if you didn't know me—"

"Don't you even start Sasuke Uchiha," Naruto demanded as he gently touched one of Sasuke's clenched fists. "I will not allow you to take an inch of thinking that any of the bullshit that happened was remotely your fault! Meeting you," Naruto took a breath as he rubbed his thumb softly across Sasuke's knuckles. "meeting you has—has been the most amazing, exciting and I must say challenging event in my life that I wouldn't, and I mean it Sasuke, _wouldn't change for a thing._ " Naruto squeezed the other's hand, thankful to see that Sasuke's grip had loosened.

Sasuke couldn't bring himself to say anything as he listened to the blond alpha's words. His wolf was rolling around in his mind like a cat on catnip, basking in the blond alpha's presence, and trying to share these emotions with him. Sasuke took some deep breaths, trying to calm his heart rate when the alpha gently held his hand and spoke the words of devotion. "Sasuke _please_." He heard Naruto speak before a palm cupped his chin and Sasuke allowed the alpha to gently guide his face up to look directly into the eyes of the blond alpha. Sasuke immediately could see the concern etched into the blue eyes, watching him and flickering around his face. The inner wolf purred loudly, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin.

"Sasuke, please don't torture yourself with those type of thoughts. I can't stand it," Naruto whispered out as he took in the black deep eyes that had amazing depths that he could get lost in. Those eyes could be cool and aloof, but Naruto could now see beyond the wall. Those eyes, experiences hidden within the depths, was a history of extreme pain and struggling, that no person should have had to go through. Naruto felt his wolf yearn to reach over and protect Sasuke from all that could cause him harm. "Sasuke. I'm not giving up on you. I—I really want to be around you," Naruto whispered out, his breath brushing over Sasuke's lips as he unconsciously leaned closer. "So—no more talk about faults…" Naruto tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips gently onto the other. He could feel the slight gasp from Sasuke, the flutter of his eyelids against his face but most importantly, the heat from Sasuke's lips pressing back in response to his.

Sasuke felt his heart slamming against his chest as the blond alpha placed his lips upon his own. The blonde's citrus meadow like scent filled his senses, making him feel hazy yet safe and he savored the taste of the blond alpha invading his taste buds. The kiss was warm, soft and light, giving Sasuke ample time to pull away but tingling heat that shot through his lips on contact, through his face and traveling down his spine had Sasuke sighing into the kiss. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss and a small moan released without his consent when Naruto moved his hand to caress his cheek.

Much to his wolf's displeasure, Naruto pulled back from the kiss first, his tongue licking his lips to savor the taste of Sasuke. He opened his eyes to see Sasuke's eyes still closed, his lips slightly parted and a red flush to his cheeks. Naruto could just eat Sasuke all up on how amazing he looked after that kiss. He smiled when Sasuke fluttered opened his eyes and focused on him. "Thank you for today," Naruto whispered out with a smile while releasing Sasuke's face. Sasuke's eyes flicked back and forth to each blue eye before giving a hint of a smile back.

"Yeah, thanks for showing me, and driving me, and yeah." Sasuke suddenly was a loss for words.

Sensing Sasuke's distress with conversation, Naruto leaned back into his seat and dug into his jacket pocket. "Before you go, I have something for you. Hold out your hand," Naruto smiled as he held his hand out, closed into a fist, and facing downwards.

Sasuke tilted his head and pinched his lips in a smirk before holding his palm out. Naruto placed his other hand under Sasuke's open palm and then brought down the closed fist. He slowly opened his fingers and then flatted his palm onto Sasuke's, squeezing Sasuke's hand between his two hands before removing them. Sasuke looked at the object in his palm curiously before folding his fingers around it and bringing it closer to his eyes.

"It's to join the other objects," Naruto chuckled out. Sasuke raised a brow in question. "They all complement each other, and I'm sure you might figure it out, but my hope is to keep you guessing." Naruto ran his hand through his thick hair, scratching at the back of his neck as he gave Sasuke a shy look.

Sasuke held the item between his thumb and point finger, holding it up to his eyes and watching as the sand filtered through. His eyes flickered between Naruto and the item as if the answer was going to be presented to him immediately.

Naruto caught the look and snickered. "Don't look at me like that. No hints."

Sasuke snorted out in amusement and grasped the object into his fist. "Thank you for today. Text me later." Sasuke shoved open the jeep door and hopped out. He gave the blond a nod again before closing the door and fished out his fob to unlock his own car door. Naruto shouted out a farewell after ensuring Sasuke got into his car, before driving off. Sasuke watched the taillights of the jeep disappear before pulling the object out once again. The ends were made a dark marble that held a sturdy curved piece of glass that protected the timer on the inside. The sand timer's funnel glass looked as if it houses some crystal particles to make the sand within shimmer when it filtered through the small hole. Sasuke watched as the sun's rays caused small crystal colours flash about while the sand filtered. _'A sand timer…complements the others. Hmm…'_ Sasuke's thoughts began to whirl and click about, trying to put the puzzle together. His phone chiming snapped him back into the now and he placed the timer into his pocket. Checking his phone, noting it was his brother, he started his car and headed home. He had work to do.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Naruto was floating on air when he arrived back at the cottage that it was natural for his pack mates to notice this. He had a perma-grin plastered on his face as he hummed about in the kitchen, putting together a small snack. He shrieked out when someone pinched his sides and thankfully his sandwich didn't go flying across the room. "Jee-zuz!" he breathed out, hand to his chest as he felt his heart thumping wildly. He turned with an irritated look when he heard giggling behind him.

"Hi there mighty alpha, had a good day?" Sakura giggled some more as she slid into a seat at the table. Her eyes glimmered mischievously as she waggled her eyebrows at Naruto.

"Oh yeah, it was a fabulous dayyyyyy!" Naruto slid on his socks across the floor to slip into a chair as well. "I took Sasuke to Chiyo's, you remember, the place at the sea shore?" Naruto chirped out grabbing his sandwich. "It was so—munch—amazing!"

"Naruto, don't eat and talk! You're not twelve!" Sakura leaned over and smacked Naruto on the arm. "Either wait to give me the juicy details or finish eating first!" She laughed at the now pouting Naruto.

Forgoing his sandwich, "oh we talked and talked. It was like it was before…well you know, and Sasuke accepted my gift!" He grabbed his sandwich, taking a big bite and trying to chew while grinning.

Sakura smiled at the big blond goof. He was a good alpha, a little bit of an idiot sometimes, but still a good man. "I'm so glad to hear that is going well Naruto. Be sure to talk to us if anything, and I mean _anything_ , comes up that you need help with. Got it?" Sakura pointed her finger at him, her glare sending shock waves through the air and hitting the blond. Naruto just nodded feverishly back. "Good. Now we have been in touch with the Inuzuka, Hyuga, Haruno, Yamanaka and Nara clan. They have all agreed to meet with you Naruto and we scheduled a time next week to meet and discuss."

Naruto nodded his head while swallowing a large gulp. "Excellent! Great work guys. Make sure the extra cabins are ready should anyone want to spend the night. I need to start gathering up information that I want to discuss with the other clans. Oh, and another thing," Naruto hesitated as his blues focused on green. "You can't tell baa-chan about the meeting." Naruto gave a stern look when Sakura began to open her mouth to most likely contest. "I mean it Sakura," Naruto reminded with a stern voice. Sakura snapped her jaw shut and nodded her head slowly. She knew better than to argue against her alpha when he used that _tone._ "I'll let the others know when I see them or you can, but I have some papers I need to get a move on. Why does there have to be so much!" Naruto whined out as he put his dishes in the sink, Sakura giggling at Naruto's antics as he left the room.

Naruto flopped on his bed, staring up at the ceiling and he still couldn't stop smiling. The outing with Sasuke had made his heart flutter nonstop and his wolf howled in bliss. Naruto felt a great success at the smiles that Sasuke blessed him with and not to mention the kiss! Naruto grabbed a pillow and hugged and squeezed it tight, recalling the warmth of Sasuke's lips, his deep earthy scent and the small moan that escaped Sasuke during their brief kiss. The recalling of the moan stirred something in his loins and Naruto was bombarded by his wolf rubbing at particular senses that had shocks of electricity going straight to his cock. "Ohhh Sas'ke," Naruto hummed out, squeezing the stuffing out of his pillow and rutting against it. His eyes were closed while he was provided with images of Sasuke's deep black eyes, that were half lidded and full of lust. He was then giving a smirk while pulling his fingers in and out from his plump lips. Naruto's heart rate sped up as his hips began to rut harder against the pillow. Dream Sasuke was now panting heavily as his hips swayed back and forth, he was shirtless and his skin glistened like it was oiled. Dream Sasuke traced his fingers down his chest, following the lines of muscle and keeping his eyes on Naruto. He continued to suckle his other fingers while the others went to pinch at the pink nubs. Dream Sasuke let out that moan once again and Naurto saw stars. He lay spent on his bed, panting lightly and still straddling the pillow. "Fuck," he panted out into the pillow. What an embarrassment of his stamina. He flopped to his back, feeling the wetness in his shorts making him flinch. Running a hand through his thick hair, he smiled and huffed out happily thinking that Sasuke was so worth it.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Sasuke headed into the house, tugging his bag over his shoulder and his one hand clasped around the sand timer in his pocket. Slipping into the door he was greeted by a bouncy blond omega who gathered him up in an unwanted hug.

"Deidara, enough! I'm fine!" Sasuke growled out, struggling to get released from the grasp.

"Sasuke 'un, you know I worry! You didn't have classes for the entire day and you didn't come home afterwards, you didn't text, so of course I worried and—what's this smell?" Deidara nuzzled his nose into Sasuke's hair, holding his head steady. "Oh ho! Someone been hanging out with a stud of an alpha!" Deidara ruffled Sasuke's hair as he pulled away. "Tell me 'un, what did you two do?" Deidara was ridiculously giddy and Sasuke tried to ignore and head to his room. "No no no! Come one Sasuke! Did Naruto treat you gentleman like? Did he offer to pay? Did you two hold hands and kiss?" Deidara sing-songed the question out while he reached out and grabbed Sasuke's wrist gently to keep him from leaving. "You might as well tell me 'un. You know Itachi will smell him on you too and will want to know much more than I! I can at least break it to him before he comes to you hmm?" Deidara raised his eyebrows as he then crossed his arms across his chest, completing the look with tapping his foot.

Sasuke stood facing away from Deidara as he dropped his head and let out an annoying sigh. "Fine. Yes we went out to a tearoom situated on the sea shore. I drank tea, had some soup and we talked. Then he drove me back to my car and here I am." Sasuke tried his best to make his voice sound annoyed and he peeked back over his shoulder at Deidara. Deidara didn't look convinced. He kept the head tilt, the eyebrows raised and the foot tapping. "Okay fine we…" he mumbled out.

"What was that? Couldn't hear youuuuuu…" Deidara tilted his body at his hips, leaning closer to Sasuke and holding a cupped hand to his ear.

"We shared a …." Sasuke mumbled again.

"Sasuke 'un. Don't make me force it out of you," Deidara threatened as he over dramatically began to hold his hands out in a stance and walked towards Sasuke looking like he was ready to pounce.

" _Wesharedakiss—_ okay! CHRIST! You're so fucking annoying!" Sasuke turned on his heel and stomped off to his room with Deidara gasping over dramatically, fanning himself and giggling at the same time. "I have homework! Now leave me alone!" Sasuke gave out a final shout with the familiar slam of a bedroom door. Deidara smiled broadly before heading back into the kitchen. He couldn't wait for Itachi to get home.

Sasuke threw his bag on the floor and flopped on his bed. Opening up the drawer on the bedside table, he pulled out the other gifts that Naruto had given him. He laid on his side, his head held up with his hand, elbow on the bed and placed the items on the bed before him. The pearl he rolled about with his fingertip before looking to the fork and spoon. Laying the items side by side he concentrated on the three gifts with question. ' _Pearl, fork, spoon and sand timer…what could they all have in common?_ ' Sasuke hummed to himself as his fingers traced all the items. He thought back to the earlier outing today and found himself smiling. His wolf triggered the memories of the hand touching, the soft smiles and touches and of course the warm kiss. He began to feel the butterflies in his stomach as the memories invaded his mind. _'Stupid horny wolf,'_ Sasuke disciplined his wolf, though he knew the wolf didn't care. He smiled again as he scooped up the trinkets and put them back into his drawer. He ran a hand through his thick locks before moving to his desk. He did have work to do and horny wolf will have to wait.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

The weekend brought the familiar pumping of music through the club, vibrating the walls and bodies bouncing and grinding beneath the flashing flicking coloured lights. Misty fog sprayed out in intervals across the dance floor adding a colouful wonderland feeling to the beats thumping. The DJ Killer B was back in club, and his name always brought in the crowd. Sasuke did his dance behind the bar with his smooth mixology skills as per usual and Naruto's eyes took in the show. If Naruto was a cartoon, he figured that his tongue would be hanging out and eyes would be sparkling as he took in the smooth movements of Sasuke. Since their brief kiss in his jeep a few days ago, Naruto couldn't get the dark haired beautiful mysterious alpha out of his mind. And of course his wolf had no qualms on bringing up that day over and over in his mind, together with a few suggestive emotional triggers as well.

"Good show?" a deep voice called out through the music into Naruto's ear. Naruto just nodded his head, his blues still focused on the movements of Sasuke and his fingers loosely caressing his still practically full glass. Gaara chuckled as he lifted a finger in Sasuke's direction and Sasuke responded with a nod, noting he had seen. "I'm glad to hear that you are doing better my friend," Gaara spoke up over the music and squeezed Naruto's shoulder. He nodded at Sasuke when a drink was placed before him before turning to serve other customers. "How about you and Sasuke?" Gaara winked and gave a little smirk in Naruto's direction. Naruto's head flopped towards him, his eyes have lidded and glazed over. _'Well that's a good answer.'_ Gaara thought to himself.

"Oh hey Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly seemingly just noticing that Gaara was sitting beside him. "Good to see you my friend! When did you get here?" Naruto moved in and gave him a tight hug.

"Just got here and saw you sitting here on cloud nine," Gaara chuckled deeply. "You and Sasuke eh?" Gaara tilted his head in the direction of the raven. Naruto grinned and Gaara could see the blush that flushed across his cheeks.

"Out for a bit of fun eh Gaara?" Naruto dropped an arm across the red heads shoulders, giving him a wink and a squeeze.

Gaara took as swig from his glass as quickly as possible before the boisterous blond could cause him to knock it from his grip. "Hn, business with Itachi, about you know what." Gaara gave a stern look at the blue eyes. Naruto pinched his lips, nodding his head indicating that he understood.

"How can I help?" Naruto leaned on the bar counter, grasping his drink to take a drink.

"Just by staying safe."

Naruto glared at the red head. "That's bull shit Gaara. I should be in there especially after all the shit that Sasuke went through!"

"Exactly Naruto," Gaara growled, cutting off Naruto's rant. "You protecting Sasuke, it's exactly what he needs right now. Certainly you can see that?" Naruto let out a long breath in response. "And after the shooting," Gaara narrowed his green eyes at blue, "it is better you both stay safe." Naruto continued to glare at his drink, his hands fisted that Gaara could see the knuckles turning white. "We will deal with this Naruto," Gaara's voice echoed quietly. A presence was felt beside him and he turned to the person, giving a nod.

"Gaara," Itachi's voice was deep, smooth yet firm. Naruto watched as Itachi called Sasuke over and leaned into his ear to say something. Sasuke nodded and went back to making drinks after a quick glance at Naruto. "Naruto," Itachi gave a nod of acceptance.

"Say, Itachi," Naruto caught his attention before the alpha left. "I have a request." He noticed Gaara giving him a glare of warning and Itachi just tilted his head closer to the blond. "I would like to take Sasuke for an overnight camp trip with your permission." Naruto gave a small bow in respect to the pack leader.

"Hn, is that so," Itachi responded, pulling his hand up, cupping his chin. His eyes looked up and he gave the impression that he was thinking.

"I promise it won't be to far, it's a place I've gone to a hundred times, perfectly safe, what do you say Itachi?" Naruto's eyes were wide with desperation and his body seemed to thrum with anticipation.

"Why would you want to request such a thing Naruto?" Itachi seemed to glare at the blue eyes, his body leaning against the edge of the bar.

Naruto's fist instantly went to the back of his head and pulled at the hairs. "Well, you see—umm, you know that I've been—well me and Sasuke, I've been –and I want to move – well not move like you think, but—but this time…" Naruto stuttered through his explanation and ended with an exhausted raspberry noise through his lips. _'Ah shit, I'm such an idiot!'_ Naruto scolded himself.

Itachi was amused watching the blond alpha stumble through his wording. He knew exactly what the blond alpha was requesting and why, but why let it be known? It was much more interesting to see the blond alpha trip and fall at the simple request. He recalled how his giggly mate had told him the other day of Sasuke's _shared kiss_ and Deidara had to hold Itachi back as he wanted to find the blond alpha and rip his lips off. Thankfully Deidara had his ways of calming Itachi and well, as always it worked. He had a very satisfied mate and wolf after those few hours. Itachi then chuckled suddenly, "do try and not hurt yourself Naruto." The blond alpha snapped his eyes back up to Itachi. "I very well know what you have been _trying to do_ with my otouto over the past year." Naruto suddenly looked very nervous as he gave a sheepish smile and his eyes shifted to his feet. "That being said, I really do not think at this time—,"

"Itachi," Gaara interrupted, his voice low but not threatening. He raised his brows a couple times in the direction of Naruto. Itachi pinched his lips towards the other alpha, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You have my permission," Itachi's voice was sharp and stern. Naruto's eyes lit up like sunshine, his mouth gaped open in surprise. "But," Itachi held his hand up, "you will be sure to inform me of the location and date." He closed his fingers into a fist then pointing his finger directly at Naruto's nose. "Clear?"

Naruto's headed nodded a mile a minute that had Gaara chuckling quietly. Itachi then let out a sigh, pinched his nose then proceeded to give Gaara a nod before heading to the back of the bar. Gaara stood, finished off the last bit of his drink before giving Naruto a slap on the shoulder. "Good luck." He gave Naruto a wink and turned, following Itachi through the crowd to the back.

==/\/\==

Gaara closed the door behind him when the two alphas made it to the office. "They will do each other good," Gaara spoke as he took a seat on the couch. He heard Itachi sigh loudly from behind his desk. "They are compatible. I have faith in Naruto."

"That I have no doubt of Naruto. But that is not what worries me," Itachi responded. Gaara just hummed in agreement, giving the chance for the other to continue.

"I am certain Naruto is not aware of Sasuke's status." Itachi rubbed his forehead as if he was nursing a headache.

"Naruto may be a little, hmm how should I say this, enthusiastic?" he chuckled when Itachi's head snapped up at him. "But I will say he is learning to take a more calming approach to situations that surprise him."

"For both their sakes, I pray you are correct." Itachi leaned back in his chair. "Now, shall we begin?"

==/\/\==

Naruto took his seat back at the bar, content on watching Sasuke work his magic with the cocktails. His heart was fluttering as he contemplated on how to approach Sasuke. As luck would have it, he noticed that Sasuke did a familiar wave to another staff, calling that staff member over. The familiar attractive red haired staff member with piercings leaned in to hear Sasuke talk and gave a firm nod of the head. Sasuke grabbed his jacket from under the bar and slipped out into the crowd. Naruto didn't miss the subtle glance and tilt of the head from the raven towards him before he pushed his way through the slew of bodies. He quickly took a sip of his drink and followed him. This was the moment he was hoping for.

They met outside in the alley both were already familiar with. Sasuke leaning against the brick wall in the shadow, Naruto respecting his space but close enough to smell the intoxicating scent from the raven haired beauty. After the moment in his jeep Naruto was itching to envelop the other alpha into his arms. He studied the other briefly, taking in his breathing, his posture, the smooth lines of the marble skin that glowed in the moonlight. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he rocked on his heels and let out a long breath, causing a light mist to develop as the air was slightly cool.

"I can see the smoke rising from your ears dobe," Sasuke spoke out with a smirk.

"Ah, t-teme," Naruto retorted but began rubbing at his neck as his eyes looked at Sasuke's knees.

"Spit it out, I know you want to say something," Sasuke breathed out as he laid his head back against the cool bricks of the building, briefly closing his eyes and enjoying the quiet.

"I want to share a place with you Sasuke." Naruto kept rocking on his heels as he watched Sasuke's response. When deep black eyes opened to meet his he continued. "I have been going to this place in the forest for years and I would like to take you. It would be an overnight, like, in a tent or if you prefer under the stars we don't need a tent, ummm, so yeah."

Sasuke watched the blond alpha fidget while he spoke. It was amusing and Sasuke found it cute. The strong, loud, impressive alpha getting all fidgety and nervous over a simple request. His wolf purred with excitement at the thought of spending some time alone with the blond alpha. But, there were factors to consider. Sasuke still had yet to mention his omega status; obviously the blockers were working since Naruto didn't appear to catch on and still considers Sasuke an alpha.

The thought of spending a night out with Naruto triggered some excitement. He had only been out a couple times with his pack and the outings have been limited due to …well he didn't need to remind himself of what happened. Perhaps he needed this time to just get away for a couple days, get back to normal, let loose and just enjoy bonding with his wolf again under the green canopy of the forest. He worried on his bottom lip without knowing while thinking about the offer, his wolf stimulating his emotions, eager to have Sasuke agree.

Naruto's eyes focused on Sasuke's mouth as the raven's bottom lip was being suckled and chewed. Heat traveled straight south to his groin and a small purr vibrated up his chest that caught the raven haired man's attention.

"You in there dobe?" Sasuke smirked as he stepped closer to the dazed blond alpha. He had heard the purr and found the blond to be staring at him, but not his eyes and not responding to him. Sasuke licked his lips quickly and noticed that the hazed blue eyes were following that movement. Humored now, he stepped even closer and clicked his tongue. "What-cha looking at _al-pha?_ " Sasuke hummed out in a sultry whisper and brought his lips closer to Naruto's own. Naruto blinked rapidly and broke from his spell and Sasuke felt goosebumps rise when he inhaled the rich alpha scent.

Naruto immediately brought his hand up to cup Sasuke's cheek, blue eyes holding black eyes steady, then gently guided Sasuke's lips to his own. The warmth emanating from the raven's lips had Naruto wanting to pull the other in close. His heart beat sped up when Sasuke responded to the light kiss, pushing lightly against his and Naruto began the dance. His lips molded into Sasuke's, pushing gently and gliding them along as he moved his fingers to thread thru the thick black hair. His wolf purred in approval at the sound of the small sighing moan that came from Sasuke. Taking a bold next step, Naruto moved to taste Sasuke's lips while gently applying pressure that had both of their lips breaching open and Naruto tentatively dipped his tongue into Sasuke's cavern. Heated desire blasted through him as Sasuke's tongue responded to the offered dance and Sasuke deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around Naruto's neck.

Sasuke shivered and felt heat explode through his skin and tingle up his spine. His lips felt the heat off of Naruto's and he desired more of it as he pulled himself into the blond alpha. His wolf pushed the desire harder and Sasuke let it flow through him. A moan escaped Naruto's lips and hearing that Sasuke was hit with power and lust ten fold, triggering his instincts to become possessive an claim what he wanted. Sasuke stepped one leg between Naruto's and pulled the muscled alpha possessively closer into his body. His taste buds couldn't get enough the taste of the alpha, the heat, the movement and the hard body clasped into his grasp. Sasuke's lips moved feverishly, his skin sparked painfully with need wanting to absorb the alpha's heat, his tongue tasted every inch it could find within the alpha's cavern and Sasuke found it still wasn't enough. A growl erupted from his chest, his canines began to lengthen, his claws began to extend as one hand pierced Naruto's back, the other clutching blond locks in a grip.

Naruto's wolf responded with fire that overwhelmed the blond, leaving him in a possessive haze. Waves of desire and lust filled his senses while he stepped forward and pushed Sasuke against the cool brick wall. The sting of Sasuke digging his claws into his skin and grasping his hair flared a sexual need so hot that had Naruto succumbing to his instincts. The responding moans coming from Sasuke only enhanced the electrical sparks going through his body and Naruto tried desperately to taste and feel everything that was Sasuke.

"What a pretty show this is," a chilled voice raised from the shadows. "Does not surprise me in the least that you creatures fuck anywhere. _Disgusting!_ " The voice spat out, clear irritation radiated in the voice.

Naruto turned quickly, his eyes narrowed glowing yellow, shoving Sasuke behind him and growled lowly. "Show yourself!" he demanded into the darkness, his claws extending and his eyes flickering about to see who was there.

"Oh please, you do not scare me, filthy dog," the voice taunted from the darkness with a chuckle.

Sasuke stood rigid, his nose trying to pick up the scent of whoever was in the darkness, his ears listening to the voice, trying to locate whoever was speaking. Naruto's arms were pushed back slightly around Sasuke, as if trying to protect him from whatever was out there. There was no scent, no sounds, just the voice taunting them from the darkness. Sasuke shivered slightly, his wolf suddenly wary of its surroundings and Sasuke bit his cheek to stop the rush of trauma fear that was trying to overtake his mind.

"Show yourself **now!** " Naruto roared into the darkness, his voice vibrating deep, heavy and sharp throughout the alley. A threatening sign to any enemy that he was an alpha not to be underestimated.

"Naruto, wait…" Sasuke whispered out, suddenly realizing who, or more exactly, what the creature was in the darkness. Naruto turned his head slightly towards Sasuke, not taking his eyes off the darkness but listening to Sasuke.

"Listen to your little fuck buddy _alpha,_ " the voice mocked in the darkness once again. "Unless you truly want to test me, but I can assure you, _you will lose!'_ The voice hissed out with venom laced in the voice.

"Naruto. Don't say anything," Sasuke hissed out through his teeth.

"Ah, you going listen to your little slut _alpha?_ " The voice mocked out. Naruto growled lowly in response. A figure appeared into the light without a breath of sound and Naruto breathed out a snort of irritation. "Phht, you think you're so tough hmm? You dogs, always so aggressive over every little thing," the man snorted out.

Naruto's eyes followed the man's movements. He appeared to be floating with every step, as no sound came from the ground. The stranger did not appear to have a scent, that had Naruto's instincts on alert. The man was close enough that Naruto should have picked up his scent already.

The man had shoulder length silver hair, smooth skin that glowed in the moonlight and the features of a solid strong man in his twenties. Naruto growled again as a smirk appeared on the stranger when he stopped a few feet away, folding his arms across his chest. His eyes were golden in colour and narrowed towards Naruto and Sasuke. "You think you dogs scare me? Hmph please," the man sneered out.

"Don't..Say..Anything," Sasuke hissed out again in Naruto's ear, his eyes now seeing the man who but stood a few feet away.

"Oh piffle. You dogs always looking for a fight. One cannot take a leisurely stroll without you dogs fornicating or messing up the walkways. Tacky and pitiful!" The man whipped his hair over his one shoulder as he turned to walk away from the pair, giving them a sneer as he did. Naruto's eyes followed the stranger until he disappeared into the darkness again before turning to face Sasuke.

"Are you alright?" Naruto ran his hands down Sasuke's arms and up his neck, his eyes back to sky blue and taking in all the areas of Sasuke.

Sasuke slapped at Naruto's hands, not liking being made to feel so weak. "I'm fine and I'm glad you listened to me dobe," he taunted. Naruto froze his hands on Sasuke's shoulders and gave a confused look. Sasuke tsk'd. "That," he breathed out, "was obviously a vampire." Naruto's eyes widened as he looked back over his shoulder to where the man had disappeared. "And you _do not_ ever insult or challenge a vampire...unless you are prepared for it." Sasuke finished off with a huff. He side stepped Naruto to take a look behind him. "Looks like he left." Sasuke crossed his arms as he assessed the area. "Yeah, I can't sense him, he's long gone."

"I didn't sense anything. No sound, scent, nothing!" Naruto growled out as he punched the wall.

"Cool it dobe," Sasuke shot out. Naruto leaned his forehead into his forearm against the brick wall, breathing heavily with clenched teeth. Sasuke turned and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. A sudden feeling of wanting to coddle the alpha overcame him. "My answer is yes Naruto."

Naruto's head shot up suddenly and turned to look over his shoulder at Sasuke. "W-wha?" His lips sputtered over the word. Sasuke suppressed a smirk as Naruto slowly turned to face Sasuke. "What was that?" Naruto finally got full words out, his blue eyes wide and focused on Sasuke. His hand shook as it moved delicately through Sasuke's hair.

Sasuke chuckled lightly and pinched his lips into a smirk. "I accept your invitation to your overnight outing in the forest. When do we—Narutoooooo!" Sasuke couldn't finish since Naruto had grabbed around his waist and began to swing him around. Sasuke howled out and thumped his fists on Naruto's shoulders as he demanded to be released. Naruto continued to laugh and shout in glee as he hugged Sasuke tight and swung him around. The concern about a vampire being in the area no longer even a thought.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Beta thoughts:  
Bless the readers and comments, I appreciate you all. You are all staying safe I bet and making tiktok videos?! I'm a tiktok'r... (same handle btw) and my kitten is a hit ~ i had to put that in there hehe

All you readers and authors keep going strong! Every single one of you are amazing and I enjoy seeing you out there doing what you like to do!

I'm sorry I can't give a timeline of when the next chapter is up, I don't have that much talent! But there are so many other amazing authors that do that sort of thing, they are my mentors! Next chapter is in progress, the story continues! Bless you all!


	21. Chapter 21

Hi everyone. Welcome to another chapter!

Many hugs to those who are staying safe! Enjoy the next segment of this never ending story! hehe!

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Naruto sat at the table surrounded by the clan representatives that had agreed to come and listen to Naruto. Hinata and Sakura were the ones that were able to get them all to come, and Naruto, being the outstanding young alpha he was, had a connection with all the clans that were here today.

From Kiba's clan, came his elder sister Hana Inuzuka. A beta woman with a laid back personality but had a feral demeanour should she become angry and protective. The clan was legend for their member's ability in attacks and were often called upon during war.

From Hinata's clan, came a clan beta member, Tokuma Hyuga. The young man appeared calm as his eyes took in the situation around him. Hinata introduced him as a selfless level headed person who had a strong loyalty to the clan.

Sakura's clan had sent Yushiro Haruno. The young beta was training in several fighting style techniques, he so explained, to reach his goal. To be the most memorable and honorable protector of the head alpha. Naruto had not many members from Sakura's tribe, so he just nodded his head when Yushiro explained expressed himself in a firm voice.

Ino Yamanaka was an old friend of Naruto's. The vibrant long blond haired alpha woman was strong, loud and excelled in stealth and restraining. Naruto had many memories of saying the wrong thing to the blond alpha woman and ending up in chock holds, pretzel holds, and ending up with bruises on top of bruises.

Shikamaru Nara arrived from the Nara clan. The alpha was quiet, laid back and Naruto at times didn't know if the man was asleep or ignoring him. Naruto had spent about a year with Shikamaru when they were teens and Naruto learned that the man was absolutely brilliant.

"Thank you everyone for meeting with me today," Naruto started. "There are accommodations for you all." The group nodded several times at Naruto's welcoming words. "First of all, many of you may have heard of the situation that just occurred with myself."

"Have you fully recovered then Naruto?" Shikamaru asked. "I understand there was a time that was quite worrisome."

"Oh yeah, it was crazy scary there for a bit," Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "But, thankfully shit has gone back to normal but now I want justice. Not just for me but for Sasuke too."

"Uchiha? The Sasuke hotty Uchiha? What's he got to do with this?" Ino squealed suddenly. Naruto growled immediately in response. "Oh ho! Really Naruto?" Ino snickered in response to Naruto's growl and glare. "I suppose congratulations are in order?" Ino waved her fingers at the blond alpha with a grin.

"Not the right time Ino," Sakura shot out, giving Ino a warning glare. "Go on Naruto." Ino just huffed out a frown, but respected the situation and kept quiet.

Naruto went on to explain his theories on Sai, Sasuke, Orochimaru and Danzo. The silver bullet, how Sasuke was tortured and most likely experimented on.

"So let me get his straight," it was Yushiro. "You believe that council member Danzo has something to do with this? Pretty serious accusation there."

"Not to mention thinking that Orochimaru is involved in illegal testing. The guy is practically honoured by council!" Hana added.

"Look, if Orochimaru is actually responsible for illegal testing, it would make sense right? Being he is a renowned scientist and researcher, but how else does he get so knowledgeable with cures and stuff on creatures without being able to at least experiment?" Naruto explained out to the group. The visiting clans had a mixture of looks. Some of them nodded slightly, appearing to agree, others were shrugging slightly, as if they were thinking about it. "If there is nothing, then we should be able to find nothing, but I seriously think that he has secret labs all over. And with a lot of clans having special abilities, don't you want to make sure your family stays safe? You wouldn't want your sisters, brothers, or own children swept away to be drugged, secured then poked at with who knows what to see how they tick?" That last comment, bringing up family, certainly had all the clan members agree.

"Okay, for argument sakes, what if we do find something? Then what?" Tokuma Hyuga spoke up. "You have a plan on what the next step is should we have hard evidence? I'm just saying that I'm certain that Orochimaru has powerful allies, either within the council or not, no one would be running an operation without some sort of support." There was lots of hums to that response.

"Gathering the information and evidence is the first step," Sakura spoke up. "Once we have that, we will be able to determine our next step with what we have." More hums of agreement came with that.

"I appreciate whoever wants to help out, but completely understand those who are not comfortable with this. But, should you decide to not assist, you need to keep what our pack is doing between you and your alpha. I can't risk any of the wrong people finding out. My pack and I will let you all discuss in private and be back in an hour." Naruto stood up and beckoned his pack to follow him with a simple head gesture out of the room.

"Any news to report on perimeter check as of late?" Naruto asked his three pack members as they took a seat on their porch.

"Another vampire scent, but only once and I don't know if it was the same one," Hinata explained.

"That makes twice a scent has been near our borders in the last year and Tsunade-sama didn't find anything right?" Kiba asked Naruto.

Naruto shook his head. "Baa-chan didn't find any information that may be concerning, but, I did see a vampire last night right outside the club!" Naruto frowned as he recalled the encounter. "But what pissed me off is that it seemed that Sasuke knew it was a vampire right away but I didn't hear it, smell it or sense it until it was practically right in front of us!" Naruto growled out and clenched his teeth. He was disappointed with himself, feeling as if he had failed his alpha status. His hands clenched without him knowing.

Hinata tapped Naruto's knee gently. "Naruto, it's okay. Vampires are hard to sense by alphas, that is why they are so dangerous."

"What was that?" Naruto snapped his head over to Hinata.

"What was what? Why vampires are so dangerous?" Hinata questioned.

"No… being hard to sense by alphas." Blue eyes looked with question.

"Really Naruto? Did you fall asleep during those lessons?" Sakura huffed out when she crossed her arms. "Nobody really knows why, but that's why omegas were often used to lead any attacks on vampires, because they can sense them better. An alpha is more likely to catch the scent if the vampire came into contact with something. Like the ground, a wall, the clothes it wears, stuff like that. Though there is one theory I recall is that because omega's bear young, their maternal instincts are stronger to sense dangers." Sakura explained. "Honestly Naruto, I really thought you were paying attention back in the day! That's why Sasuke –" she stopped herself suddenly. She knew Sasuke's true status and she was sworn to secrecy. She then quickly leaned over and thumped Naruto's head.

"Hey ow!" Naruto feigned hurt as he rubbed his head, completely not hearing Sakura's last unfinished sentence. "Well you know how much I couldn't sit still Sakura," he gave a sheepish grin. Sakura just frowned at him. "But that's what makes you so valuable to our pack, your knowledge where I lack!" Naruto grinned at her and Sakura just blew out a raspberry at him. "But hey, that's interesting that Sasuke could sense the vampire and I couldn't. Perhaps he is that much more stronger!" Naruto slapped a fist into his open palm, his grin getting impossibly bigger.

Hinata looked at Sakura, her eyes showing she didn't miss Sakura's unfinished sentence but Sakura just lowered her eyes.

"But it's odd a vampire would make itself known like that. Something must be brewing." Naruto frowned as his brows furrowed deep in thought.

"Well, I'll start keeping notes on this situation Naruto," Hinata then spoke, redirecting her attention towards the blond alpha. "We don't have anything to go on other than the scents and meeting a vampire in the city. This vampire didn't say anything suspicious?"

"No, just insulted us about making out in public." Naruto blushed slightly when the coos came from the girls. "Anyhow, thanks Hinata. I really want to focus on ensuring Sasuke is out of danger. And if that Orochimaru prick is really doing experiments on others, well that just – _just gets me so pissed_!" Naruto growled out the last with emphasis.

"We're ready," Hana's voice came out from the entrance to the door, drawing the attention of the pack. Naruto and the pack headed back inside to speak to the other clans.

"We have discussed and came to an agreed decision," it was Shikamaru who spoke while the other clan members looked on. "With what information that you have provided, taking into consideration what evidence you have to state your claim, we cannot assist at this time." He took a deep breath when he released the words, looking at Naruto with a serious face.

Naruto said nothing. He held his facial features, trying his best to look like the alpha leader he needs to be, by not losing a hold on his emotions. His hands though, that were laced together on the table, twitched into a tight hold which had his knuckles turning white.

"But," Shikamaru continued after watching Naruto remain surprisingly silent. "We are willing to keep in contact and offer your pack some insight on any suspicious activity or concerns that may happen within our packs. We all strongly agree with how you were right Naruto, none of us want to have any of our family suddenly become, for lack of a better word, guinea pigs to someone that wants to perform horrendous unspeakable experiments on our family and pack members."

Naruto relinquished the tight grip on his fingers and let out a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you," he breathed out.

"It's not that we don't believe you Naruto," Ino spoke up. "There just isn't enough evidence at this time to present a valid case. But, I myself believe, that something is going on in my region. It hasn't gone unnoticed by myself that stories from families that live in the deep forests of children disappearing." Many eyes opened wider in surprise from others around the table. "I'm not at any meetings personally, but I hear _talk_. And I'm willing to look a little closer now to see what truth there is to some of these stories." Ino nodded firmly towards the group.

"We will keep in touch with each other, deal?" Hana spoke up, looking at each individual.

The group gave nods and gave out verbal agreements before all looking at Naruto. "Thank you all for listening. If everything is clear here, then lets eat!" Naruto slapped his hands on the table as he stood quickly. "We will fire up the bar-be-que and get the meat started!" The group of people laughed as they got up and mingled with each other while the Uzumaki pack scrambled to get supper going.

Ino stood beside Naruto who was nursing the bar-be-que of thick cuts of steak, potatoes and chicken breasts. "Sooooo….," she sing songed out. "You and Sasuke eh?" She gave a grin and wiggled her fingers at his face. "When did this happen? Do share the juicy details!" She clapped her hands like a school girl and then sat on one of the deck chairs.

"Nothing really to tell." He gave a shrug as he turned the meat but he couldn't supress a smile. "We met at his brother's bar and we just hanging out. Honestly, I can't say much since all the shit happened, kind of put a dent in what we started. Losing my memory sure as hell didn't help and when Sasuke was kidnapped…" Naruto trailed off.

Ino frowned. "Sorry Naruto. I heard about what happened but I don't know the whole details. It must have been incredibly an incredibly traumatic situation to live through. Forgive me for being so insensitive." Ino meant it. Having never experienced something like what Sasuke and Naruto had personally, she could not relate on what either wolf felt during that time.

"Ino, it's okay, you didn't know. But it's still too early for me to be comfortable with sharing with just anyone, and I'm sure Sasuke would feel the same way." Naruto turned to her now. "Just know that we are, let's just say, getting to know each other better." Naruto smiled at her before turning back to the bar-be-que.

Ino hummed and nodded her head in agreement. A few moments passed before Ino spoke again. "Say Naruto, where's Kyuubi?"

==/\/\==

Kyuubi walked about the small city streets, the sun shining brightly, the people mulling about, shopping, chatting with a friend or two, others with quickened steps who appeared to be on a mission to get where they need to be, most likely a job.

Kyuubi lazily zig zagged between the people, not really going anywhere in particular, just out enjoying the sun. He wasn't used to sitting and doing nothing. His outgoing previous lifestyle was itching for release. He was used to running for miles in a day, frolicking within the forest, chasing animals on a hunt, and especially being with his pack mates. His wolf yearned for the closeness, the bonding, the socializing with his pack mates. He felt a small prickle gather behind his eyes and the form of a lump in his throat. _'Shit.'_ He thought to himself. He needed to let loose, at least for a few hours, thus he picked up his pace and headed out of town.

The large crimson coloured wolf panted out heavily as it crashed through the brush, passed the larger trees and vaulted over fallen logs. Large paws tore up the ground with each push of the earth and birds scattered to the sky when the wolf flew by. Kyuubi felt the wind blowing through his fur and urged to run faster. The feeling of freedom flowed through his body and washed away many of the earlier feelings. He kept running until he came to a lake, its surface shimmering the reflection of the bright blue sky, dotted with fluffy clouds.

Panting with his tongue hanging to the side, Kyuubi took in the scenery and the clean scent before moving in to the edge of the lake. He made sure there were no humans in the area, as he didn't want anyone to see a massive wolf and that would send humans into a panic. Lapping at the refreshing water, his mind still lingered on his pack. A twang of guilt twisted his heart as he thought about the note he left, with no other contact in the months that he had been gone. He wondered if Naruto managed to wake yet and heal. He knew that Naruto was on the mend when he left, it was only a matter of time before he woke and he hoped to the gods that his mentality was in one piece. He had gotten a different sim card for his phone so he could at least use it, but he longed to slip in the old sim and at least send a message, but the fear of leading danger to his pack held him back. He knew there would be a slew of messages from his pack mates if he plugged in that old sim, and he couldn't risk the pack locating his phone by tracking the messages. He flopped down on the grassy embankment with a big sigh and allowed himself to wallow in the loneliness for a few moments while thinking of his pack.

Several minutes went by with nothing but the sounds of nature till the wind changed direction and a new scent passed by Kyuubi's nose. His ears perked up as he took in the scent deeper into his nose. Another werewolf, around his age, omega and the smell of blood. His head lifted suddenly at the smell of copper blood that hit his nostrils and then his body jumped up and ran towards to where the scent was coming from. He ran around the length of the lake, his nose continuously twitching, determining where the scent was coming from. He broke through a heavy brush area, running away from the lake and came to an area that was fenced off by a farmer's barbed wire. He stopped when he heard the faint whimpers coming from nearby. A tangle of brush was moving about and Kyuubi cautiously made way towards the moving brush, his ears perked forward on alert, his nose twitching and tasting the air.

Kyuubi's eyes widened frantically when he came in site of a white gray omega werewolf, who's one front leg was up by its head, tangled against its neck and head by a ring of barbed wire. The barbs had cut into several areas of the wolf's neck, head and leg, most likely from the wolf trying to get out of the entanglement. There was no way the wolf could transform safely back into a human either with all the barbed wire tangled tightly around the neck and head. Kyuubi crouched low on all fours and let out a whimper. Sea green eyes widened in sudden fear when they landed on Kyuubi and the wolf suddenly pulled back, crying out when the barbs cut into the skin even more. Kyuubi whined out loudly, meaning he meant no harm and tried to lay even flatter. The white wolf began to settle down when Kyuubi didn't move any closer, whine slightly and continued to just look back. Satisfied that the white wolf wasn't scared, Kyuubi slowly stood up and began to shift back to human.

"It's okay, I'll help you, and I won't hurt you," Kyuubi whispered out with his palms up and on his knees. When the white wolf didn't make a move, Kyuubi took that as an okay for him to move forward. Slow and steady, he untwisted the barbed wire carefully away from the white wolf. It took what seemed like an eternity and Kyuubi had to wipe the sweat from his brow several times. But with determination, Kyuubi was finally able to free the omega from the twisted metal. He fell back onto his ass and let out a long breath while wiping the sweat from his brow. "Damn, its hot but I'm glad I got that off you," Kyuubi chatted while the omega slipped backwards away from him slowly, the sea green eyes never leaving Kyuubi. Kyuubi of course noticed this but didn't want to scare the little omega. "I still won't hurt you, but I should take a look at those injuries." The omega then growled lowly. "Aw come on. My name is Kyuubi and I live in the town Amegakure, about 80 miles that way." Kyuubi grinned widely and pointed his thumb in the direction. "Do you live there too?" The omega said nothing and only blinked its large eyes. Kyuubi tilted his head in question before running a hand through his red hair and ruffling it up slightly. He slowly stood up, giving a large grin. "I'm taking you to the lake, to get those wounds washed off okay?" He stepped towards the white wolf slowly, releasing a calming scent in the air. The omega's growls softened when it caught the calming scent and let out a long sigh with a whimper. Kyuubi continued to whisper calmly as he scooped up the white wolf in his arms and carefully made his way back to the lake.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

"After reviewing the evidence that Temari and Kankurou brought forward, we have found that Danzo has been attending these events on a regular basis and when he purchases, he uses one on of his bodyguard's to sign the release papers for his merchandise." Gaara shuffled through the photos and papers on the table. "As luck would have it, it's the same name on all purchases, dating back several years. And with Temari and Kankurou at the last event with Kyuubi as a witness to the last few auctions, it is enough evidence to hold Danzo for treason. Unfortunately there was nothing with Orochimaru's name on any documents. If Orochimaru gets supplies from these sales, he may send one of his assistants."

"Hm, but Danzo will have the backing of the council. He has powerful allies not to mention diplomatic immunity in several countries. Bringing him down could be challenge," Kakashi added to the conversation.

"But if we have enough evidence to at least hold him till the rest of the evidence is found…" Itachi hummed in thought as he went over the various photos. "As well, how many subordinates has he got that will protect him with their lives. The fear he instills in people will be hard to overcome."

"Well, we can at least put a stop to the one auction house if we make our move at the next auction," Gaara added. "Which, I will say, Temari and Kankurou do have an invite for. It's in three weeks. Can we gather enough of this evidence to bring forward to any council members that we can trust that are not in lead with Danzo? I suspect that there may be other members that feel they _benefit_ from these sales." Gaara growled with disgust.

"I'll bring this to Tsunade-sama and we will work on a plan for the raid in three weeks." Kakashi stood, closing up his notebook. "Thanks for the tea Itachi, I'll be in touch with the both of you after I speak to Tsunade-sama." Kakashi gave the men his two finger salute before heading out the door, Itachi following to see him out.

Gaara began to gather up the photos and shoving them into his briefcase. "Gaara," a voice came from the door in greeting. Gaara nodded in response to the younger Uchiha. "Good to see you Sasuke, how are you feeling?" Gaara was pleased to see Sasuke was on the mend from his ordeal. He couldn't imagine the trauma the young wolf was going through and grit his teeth that anyone would do such horrific things to anyone.

"Hn, as good as it can get for now," Sasuke responded as he made his way around the table to the coffee pot.

"Sasuke, a quick word." Gaara spoke out as he closed this briefcase. Sasuke turned and leaned against the kitchen counter. "It's about Naruto." Gaara waited to see if the topic would change Sasuke's demure. When Sasuke just stood quietly sipping his coffee, waiting, Gaara continued. "I know he can be loud, brash and sometimes overbearing." Sasuke snorted loudly in agreement. "But his loyalty to those he considers friends, is incredibly deep. Please take that into consideration should he ever do something… _brash._ " Gaara raised his brows at the young Uchiha. Sasuke pinched his lips in thought, staring into his coffee cup. Gaara then chuckled lightly, "too many times that I can count where Naruto has put his foot into his mouth before actually thinking."

"Talking about Naruto I see?" Itachi chimed in as he entered into the kitchen. "The young alpha can certainly rile up a room. I think that is why Tsunade stopped bringing him to any large events. She could not keep him out of trouble." Itachi shook his head with a smile. Sasuke raised a brow in question to the comment. "Though the pride and respect that young alpha has is admirable. You know he approached me the other night otouto, asking permission respectably, as he should." Itachi crossed his arms across his chest while leaning against a counter and nodding at Sasuke who flicked his eyes at him in surprise.

"Ohhh! What an honourable handsome alpha to do such a thing!" Deidara sing songed as he swung open the door and entered the kitchen as well. His long blond hair was tied up into a messy bun, his t-shirt hung loose over a shoulder and his bunny slippers peeked out from his long sleep pants. "Good morning pup!" Deidara went over to Sasuke and ruffled his hair, laughing when Sasuke sputtered his coffee and started slapping Deidara's hands away. "Hello Gaara, did you get enough tea?" Deidara turned to the red head, smiling warmly at him.

Gaara gave a small smile. "Thank you Deidara, I'm just heading out. Sasuke. Itachi." Gaara gave them all a nod and made his way out, Itachi following to see him out.

"Soooo," Deidara started as he got himself some eggs from the fridge. He winked at Sasuke, "did Naruto ask you anything hmm?" Deidara sang out as he grabbed a bowl and frying pan, then fluttering his eyelashes at Sasuke.

"Hn," Sasuke responded, not falling into Deidara's trap of questions. Itachi came back into the kitchen and nuzzled up behind Deidara. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the site.

"I think a camp trip is required soon, when are you going Sasuke?" Itachi called out from Deidara's neck.

"Nothing has been planned yet, I suspect soon, since classes are over shortly for summer break," Sasuke grabbed a bran muffin from the muffin holder, anything to keep from having to see his brother practically fornicating with Deidara.

"Mmm, a camping trip, lovely! We could all go together!" Deidara hummed out as he tilted his neck slightly giving more access to Itachi's lips while mixing eggs.

"Hell no," Sasuke growled out towards Deidara. "Really? We eat in here!" Sasuke grumbled out at Itachi and Deidara.

"Sasuke," Itachi gave a firm tone as he turned towards Sasuke and completely ignoring the last comment. "About this outing. Were you planning on sharing with Naruto about your status this trip?"

Honestly, Sasuke had not even thought about his true status in the past few weeks while with Naruto. Sure, he didn't have his suppressants when he was kidnapped, but Naruto wasn't around for that time to find out. Now that he was back to his regular life schedule, his body was on autopilot. Get up, take pills, eat and go on with the day. It had become such a norm for him, that the mere thought of his omega status had not even breached his mind. Living as an alpha every day for so long, he hadn't contemplated the thought of what Naruto may do if he finds out. His brows creased so hard in deep thought that his muffin began to crumble onto the floor.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Sasuke pulled on his pack straps as he traveled up a worn trail through the forest. The trail was riddled with roots and headed up hill, thus Sasuke was taking the trail carefully so he wouldn't trip and take a tumble. He was far from society, and he was enjoying the peace and quiet.

"You doing okay back there Sasuke!?" a voice bellowed from ahead.

 _'Well, it was peaceful until a certain dobe opens his mouth,'_ Sasuke smirked to himself. Several small clusters of birds took flight nearby that were obviously startled by the sudden yell. "I'm not invalid _dobe,"_ Sasuke called out with a hint of mirth in his voice.

"Aw Sasuke, don't be like that! Tell me if I'm too fast for yah!" Naruto's voice rose over the green trees again.

Sasuke continued to trudge up the path. The pair had made plans over the past week, arguing from whether this would be one night or two, tent or no tent, to what food to bring. Sasuke would admit to himself that he rather enjoyed the planning the two made together, while in their outings at the tea room of Chiyo's. Sasuke had developed a strong liking for the place and Naruto was all too glad to take him there as much as possible. Naruto had explained that he often took the pack to this secluded area and enjoyed the solitude of the place. It was quite the trek to get to, on foot (or paw), and in the years that Naruto's pack had been attending, he explained that he had only scented humans in the area twice. Not that it mattered at this time, Sasuke didn't mind humans but he certainly was not into attending busy parks or camps. Naruto picked up Sasuke early morning and Naruto had parked his jeep at Chiyo's tea room. Her place was the starting point of the trail and the pair grabbed their packs and set off deeper into the forest, away from the sea, Naruto leading the way.

By noon, Sasuke estimated they had traveled about ten miles every couple hours and they had left at dawn, therefore making their traveling distance in the half day about thirty miles. And that is only by human traveling standards.

"Hungry?" Naruto popped up in front of Sasuke suddenly causing Sasuke to gasp. Naruto grinned as he grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him over to a small rock clearing. "This looks like a good spot to take a lunch break hm?" Naruto pulled his bag off, plopping it on the ground before sitting on a large boulder beside it. Sasuke took a seat and began pulling out a protein bar. Curious, he took out his cell phone and turned it on. "I'm pretty sure we are out of the service area Sas," Naruto spoke up as he heard the cell phone turn on. "But I did give Itachi the land location of where we are going and my pack knows the place, so if anything was ever to happen…not that it would though." Naruto grinned at Sasuke before taking a long drink of water.

Sasuke looked at his phone and confirmed yes indeed, there was no service so he decided to hold up the camera instead. Naruto didn't notice when Sasuke held up his phone camera and took a picture of Naruto while his head was tilted back taking a long drink. The small area they were in had a break in the trees, and the sun's rays were beaming down on Naruto's sunshine hair, creating highlights that gleamed. Naruto was wearing a black cotton tank top that hugged his chest muscles and highlighted the muscles on his arms. His adam's apple bobbed while taking that long swig of water and Sasuke's eyes trailed down the alpha's toned neck to his chest and appreciated all the lines of muscle. The picture he took on his phone captured the moment perfectly and his wolf drooled with anticipation. Sasuke hushed his wolf and told it to behave itself. He quickly put his phone away when Naruto was finished his drink.

"Only a couple more hours to go, we should get there midday," Naruto chewed on a protein bar. "How are you liking it so far?" Naruto's eyes landed on Sasuke's.

"It's pretty," was all Sasuke said while chewing on his own protein bar. Naruto made a humming noise in response and Sasuke's mind began to think about the possibility of telling Naruto about his omega status. But how to start the convo? "Naruto?"

Naruto hummed out in response and turned to look at Sasuke, who appeared to be studying his protein wrapper closely. _'Looks like he has something he wants to say, hmm…'_ Naruto studied Sasuke's demure closely. He was worrying at his bottom lip again and his eyes stayed downcast. Naruto recognized that look, the same look back in the jeep, when Sasuke was trying to express his emotions.

"What do you know about the Uchiha family?" Sasuke then looked up at Naruto.

"Hmm, what do I know eh?" Naruto brought his hand up to chin and tapped his finger on it. "Well, I know they are a proud family, a long history of aristocrats, maybe even some kings or queens way back when," Naruto chuckled as he winked towards Sasuke. Sasuke smirked in response. "The Uchiha's have a lot of expectancy within their family roots, but I've never seen it in person, so I can't say if that part is true. But from what I've seen, the Uchiha's are suave, smooth and damn hot!" Naruto winked again towards Sasuke with a purr.

"Hmph, idiot," Sasuke muttered under his breath and he turned his head to hide the blush. He heard a shuffle and when he looked forward again, Naruto was sitting cross legged on the ground at Sasuke's knees, his blue eyes wide and sparkling as they looked at him closely.

"I've even heard that Uchiha's are snobs, but you know what I think?" Naruto asked when Sasuke frowned at the word snob. "I think that Uchiha's love so hard that they don't care what or who is around them, they are focused on their love so much, others don't exist." Naruto brought a hand onto Sasuke's knee while holding him with his eyes. "So those _others_ are so jealous of being ignored, they make up stories, like calling Uchiha's snobs." Naruto squeezed Sasuke's knee with a smile.

Sasuke's eyes were lost in vast ocean of blue that took over his entire site until his eyes closed when he felt the alpha's soft warm lips upon his. He succumbed to the fluttering of butterflies in his chest and the warm purr of this inner wolf as he deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into the alpha's cavern, demanding a dance. A satisfying groan came from the alpha responding to Sasuke's dominance, and Sasuke felt himself being pulled in tight by the blond alpha. Sasuke threaded his fingers through the blond silky hair, guiding the alpha's lips harder into his own. A heat was rising deep within his gut at every nip, taste and squeeze and Sasuke found himself thirsty for more. His wolf was now panting hard out, demanding more essence of alpha, so much more and Sasuke's mind was hazing over with desire. He fisted at the blond locks and released a growl as he pulled the alpha against him, nipping and tonguing at Naruto's bottom lip while twirling his hips against the alpha. Claws had extended from his fingers and traced up Naruto's arm, grasping at the blonde's shoulder tight.

"Mmm…Sas…w-wai—" the blond breathed out, but with every chance he had to speak, Sasuke was latching his lips back onto his and responding with a disciplined growl. Naruto's eyes practically rolled to the back of his head with the heated desire hitting him in waves. With Sasuke's dominance coming from his lips, his grip, his taste, his scent all around him, Naruto was in heavenly bliss.

But with a mere whisper of moral strength, Naruto managed to grab Sasuke's shoulders and pull away from the raven haired alpha. Naruto panted hard as he kept his hands on Sasuke's shoulders while his half mast lust blown eyes looked up to the flushed faced raven. Sasuke was beautiful, was all Naruto could think. Sasuke's lip were glistening from the heated kiss, his black eyes were shining with desire, his hair was ruffled from Naruto's hands going through it and what he loved seeing the most, was the soft red blush in Sasuke's cheeks. Sasuke was panting heavily too and keeping his own eyes focused on Naruto's.

"Sas," Naruto said between pants. "As much as enjoyed that," he raised his eye brows with a smile, "if we continue on, I don't think I'll be able to hold myself back." He winced slightly as his wolf continued to growl and nip within. It wasn't happy with suddenly being halted from primal bliss.

Sasuke panted out slightly, hearing Naruto's words while taking in the sight of the alpha. His peach lips were plump from Sasuke's kissing and biting assault. Naruto's face was flushed red and his blue eyes were slightly darker with lust. Sasuke licked his lips as he appreciated the site. His inner wolf whined at the sudden stop and nipped at Sasuke, causing him to twitch. "Hn," Sasuke responded. He was slightly embarrassed at the whole situation. _'Uchiha's do not lose control.'_ The strict words of his father ringing through his mind.

Naruto sat back on the ground. "So in closing, before I got distracted," he winked again at Sasuke. "That's what I know of the Uchiha clan. But I can say I know a little more after I met you." Naruto beamed at Sasuke. Sasuke snorted out quietly. "Was it a test?" Naruto asked quickly.

Sasuke wondered how to answer that.

"Well, whatever," Naruto huffed out and waved his hand about, dismissing the question. "We should get moving if we want to get there by mid afternoon." Naruto hopped up and dusted off his pants, then held a hand out to Sasuke. They were off again, deeper into the wilderness and Sasuke was suddenly thankful for the silence.

==/\/\==

"Here we are," Naruto breathed out as the trail broke from the thick forest and into a small opening that was tucked beside a small lake. The lake was calm as the trees were a wind barrier, and it reflected the sun and sky like crystal. "We usually camp over here," Naruto pointed to the left and headed through the tall meadow like grass.

Sasuke followed and his eyes took in the site. The trees were old, tall and magnificent. Calls from all types of birds were heard echoing off the water and Sasuke managed to catch an eagle, diving down to the water, skimming it and coming back into the air with a large fish in its talons.

Naruto came to a small spot a few meters from the shore and nestled against the tree line. "There are still some of the logs here that we last used." He pointed to a small area where the wild grass was cut short and various logs were lying about. Naruto threw down his bag and stretched his arms over his head. "Wanna swim?" Naruto looked over his shoulder back at Sasuke with a grin.

After a brief swim in the crystal lake, Naruto switched into his wolf form to go nab some fish. Having been at this lake several times, he knew where to nab the biggest fish for dinner. Sasuke watched in awe when Naruto transformed into his massive wolf. He has not seen Naruto in form yet, and his dark dirty blond fur was mesmerizing when the sun highlighted the fur when drops of water flew through it. Naruto was definitely an impressive alpha and Sasuke's wolf began to trigger sensory areas deep within Sasuke's being. As each fish was tossed upon the shore, Sasuke's wolf began a possessive streak through him. _'Mine…'_ Sasuke's mind provided him, over and over. It wasn't long before Naruto was gathering up the fish from the shore and bringing them towards Sasuke. His wolf began to trigger a heat within him as a very naked, gleaming with water tanned muscled blond body was coming towards him. Sasuke's eyes dilated as he took in the site.

"I'll get a fire started and I'll show you how we cook these babies," Naruto chirped out when he got back to Sasuke. Naruto walked past Sasuke a little slower before dropping the fish near the fire pit. Naruto was not blind to how Sasuke had been watching him but would not call Sasuke out on it. He wouldn't do that to the proud stoic little alpha, he wanted Sasuke to be comfortable with him as himself and not because their horny wolves were trying to control them with instincts. He grabbed a towel to dry himself off and then put his clothes back on before starting up a fire.

The night sky came quickly but it was cloudless and shimmering in stars. Naruto brought out a checkered blanket and laid it out on the sandy bank near the water. The fire light flickered off Naruto's body and Sasuke watched him with question. Naruto then gathered up the speared fish that were set up over the fire and checked them to see they were cooked. He then held a hand out to Sasuke, inviting him to stand. Giving him a curious look first, Sasuke then held out his hand and let Naruto guide him to the blanket. Naruto settled down on the blanket, laying the cooked fish on a corner and patted the blanket. Sasuke gingerly sat beside the blond alpha, his eyes again giving Naruto a look. "A picnic Sasuke," Naruto answered the look with a grin and handed Sasuke a fish. "Eat. It's good, trust me." Sasuke smirked in response and grabbed the fish.

After their dinner of baked fish, Naruto brought out a thermos of tea. Both men sipped at their tea in silence for several minutes, looking out over the water. "This is my favourite place Sasuke, and I wanted to share it with you especially." Naruto broke the silence and leaned on his one arm turning his head towards Sasuke. "Do you see how the moon reflects off the stones on the shoreline?" He pointed out along the shore that was a few feet away.

Sasuke looked to where Naruto was pointing and sure enough, the gentle laps of the waves were leaving the stones wet and glossy. And with the moon out, "they look like pearls." Sasuke whispered out as a memory flashed through his mind.

 _"It reminded me of you in so many ways"_

Naruto hummed in agreement. "And the sand here is so soft and fine," Naruto picked up a handful and let it slowly sift through his fingers, "that it sparkles in light."

Sasuke watched the sand slowly pour through the alpha's fingers, the fire light flickering made…. "it looks like it's full of crystals." Sasuke whispered again when a memory hit him again.

 _Sasuke watched as the sun's rays caused small crystal colours flash about while the sand filtered._

Naruto turned fully to look directly into Sasuke's eyes. "When the moon light falls upon you Sasuke, you glow so warm and beautifully, I feel drawn to it. When soft lights flicker across your face, your eyes have a sparkle like crystals and I become lost in a trance." Naruto slid a hand over one of Sasuke's.

Sasuke watched the blue eyes shimmer in the fire light, holding him in place with the soft words being spoken like a calming breeze. He felt the alpha's hand on his and he welcomed the warmth of it.

"Being surrounded in such a utopia, that completely reminds me of everything about you, I needed to bring you here, to me, to see, to understand, that I want you as my own." Naruto hesitated, his blue eyes watching Sasuke's face. "Will you choose me?" he whispered out in closing.

Sasuke's mind was spiraling with all the information that was just presented to him. He watched hopeful blue eyes that waited patiently for an answer. But how could he answer? He lowered this eyes, painfully so. "Naruto, I…" Sasuke didn't know if he could do this. His wolf tremored in anticipation. Naruto deserved to know the truth, especially after all this. But how would Naruto handle being lied to all this time? Naruto was falling for Sasuke the alpha, not the omega!

Naruto tilted Sasuke's chin, making the dark orbs focus back on him. "Sasuke? What is it?" He could sense the raven haired alpha struggling.

"I'm not who you think I am," Sasuke whispered out finally. He pulled his head away from Naruto's hand to hide his eyes. Naruto leaned back slightly, watching, waiting. Sasuke took a deep breath to steady his heart. His wolf was pushing at him, hitting sensory areas that caused a heat to build in the pit of his stomach but he didn't know what it meant. "You were right," he started. "About the Uchiha's," Sasuke turned slightly so he could concentrate on the flames of the nearby fire. After a few more moments he continued. "I have certain expectations of me, being an Uchiha, and if those expectations are not met, punishment can be expected."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly but said nothing. He knew some packs were still overbearing towards their young, wanting their pups to excel over and beyond others, to rise above all and become successes in several aspects. But years of history has also shown that striving for such power can backfire, the worst result being analyzation of an entire clan. "You don't mean Itachi is…"

Sasuke shook his head quickly, his bangs falling over his eyes. "No, not Itachi. He supported me, protected me, from what I could have been subjected to." Sasuke looked at the flames again, his mind going through the memories of what he had seen, heard and learned in the history of his clan. He clenched his fist. "Uchiha means power, Uchiha means strength, and as an Uchiha, you have certain expectations that fall on your status." Sasuke spit out the last few words like they were poison, his body shaking now with the memories of his family. The continuous disappointed look from his father, the silence from his mother, his father and uncles gloating on Itachi, the elders pointing their noses up and away when they saw him and Sasuke felt strong warm arms embrace him from behind.

"Shh, it's okay Sas," Naruto whispered while rocking Sasuke gently, hugging him close as Sasuke's body tremored uncontrollably. He has never seen personally the effects that clans can have on their children, only stories, but watching Sasuke start to have an anxiety attack just from talking about it, he needed to console the raven.

The crickets continued to sing in the deep brush, the gentle waves lapped against the shore and a slight breeze rustled the leaves in the trees. Sasuke was surrounded in a warm heat that calmed his nerves and he felt secure. His wolf purred out as it basked in the essence of the blond alpha that was currently holding him. Naruto had soothed him when his anxiety had begun to take over. Sasuke mulled it over briefly and came to the decision.

"Naruto," Sasuke breathed out.

"Hmm?" Naruto responded lazily.

Sasuke's breath hitched slightly before he spoke. "I'm not an alpha," Sasuke breathed out quickly, holding his breath and clenched his fists tight as he waited for a response. Naruto's body stiffened at the confession and then Sasuke felt Naruto's arms slide slowly away from him, taking the comforting heat with him. And Sasuke felt something break inside him.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

So I'm curious, were the gifts so-so? Was it what you expected?

Keep smiling everyone and stay safe :D


	22. Chapter 22

So this chap is a little shorter than others but I wanted to give the readers something to enjoy :)

Many thanks to the comments readers have left! Virtual cookies for everyone!

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Naruto sat limply on the blanket, his head hanging low, his mind and body in sudden shock after hearing Sasuke's confession. Currently his head was a whirlpool of nonstop question after question. _'Not an alpha, what does that mean? His scent says alpha. How is that possible that he wouldn't be? Does he mean he's beta or omega? But his scent… I've scented it dozens of times… I'm sure he wasn't wearing an alpha cologne, I would so smell through that. But…how could one change their status? Their birth right? Did he get—surgery? A sex change? Can surgery actually change an alpha to a beta or omega? If Sasuke had a sex change, what was changed? How did he survive? What – parts would he still have –or not have?!'_ Naruto began pulling at his hair continuously when his mind now began coming up with mind boggling scenarios of Sasuke on an operating table, having his manly parts being removed or being sewn on. ' _Or maybe Sasuke had woman parts before? How did he survive?'_

"GAH!" Naruto smacked his forehead several times with the palm of his hand. "Stop being stupid Naruto!" he scolded himself. He suddenly realized that Sasuke wasn't in his hold anymore. He looked up in time to see Sasuke running off away from the camp into the darkness. "Sasuke wait!" Naruto jumped up and headed after him.

Sasuke ran hard, his heart thumping wildly, his wolf pushing consistently upon his emotions, that suddenly his body feel like it was catching fire. The silence he got from Naruto after his confession had his heart ripping apart and he realized he wasn't ready to accept that Naruto was obviously rejecting him. His wolf was effecting his emotions; so he couldn't control the surge of hurt he felt when Naruto moved away. Tears threatened to escape his eyes and be damned he would allow anyone to see him at such a weak state. A surge of adrenaline had him running from Naruto and into the darkness.

Sasuke's breath was forced from his lungs as he suddenly was grabbed from behind and forced to roll into the ground. His fall was cushioned though as strong solid arms were wrapped around his chest and he fell against a warm solid body instead of cold hard ground. Sasuke began to panic but it was quelled immediately as the warm citrus scent filled his head, calming the fear but now he could feel the onslaught of heat his wolf continuously pushed upon him once again. Laying still within the blond alpha's arm, Sasuke panted out short breaths as he tried to get control of the rising heat that felt as it was pumping through his veins. It didn't hurt, but it was causing his skin to become hyper sensitive to his surroundings, especially the warm body holding him that secreted a mouth watering scent that was making something deep within Sasuke stir.

"Damn it Sasuke," Naruto breathed into the black hair. "I said wait."

Sasuke held still, his heart still thumping wildly as he struggled to bring his wolf under control. But it wasn't responding, it was pushing against so many emotional triggers that he struggled to keep his mind clear.

"Not fair Sasuke," Naruto didn't let go as he spoke. "You didn't even give me a chance to respond."

"Your silence spoke for you," Sasuke spit out between clenched teeth and he tested Naruto's hold on him.

"Again, not fair Sasuke," Naruto responded with agitation in his voice. "Are you willing to listen or am I going to have to hold you longer? I can do this all night Sasuke _eeee_ ," Naruto then teased out.

"Naruto," Sasuke growled out in a warning.

"Nuh- _uhhhh_ , don't make me do this," Naruto threatened as his fingers moved to the rib cage of the raven.

Sasuke wiggled in Naruto's grasp, grunting out how irritated he was. "I'm warning you, Naru—uuuu!" Sasuke wasn't able to finish since large strong tanned fingers were now tickling the sides of his body quivered and jerked, "N-Nar-uu—AHH!" Sasuke called out as he was under the mercy of a blond alpha who was tickling his rib cage merciless.

"Tickle tickle Sasukeee!" Naruto laughed out as Sasuke squirmed in his grasp, trying his best to hold back his laughter. His muscles tightened so Sasuke couldn't escape, but not too tight, he didn't want to hurt the man.

"Ugh! N—no—no you!" Sasuke squirmed in the alpha's hold, his feet kicking at the ground as he squealed and tried to supress his giggles. "S-Stop-p-p…. Nar—ru…urk! I give-I GIVE!" Sasuke's back arched as he tried to pull away. "C-come on! I g-giveeee!"

Naruto stopped tickling and loosened his hold on the raven. He was still giggling lightly but panting heavy. Tickling a big strong alpha was hard work! _'No, not an alpha.'_ Naruto reminded himself as he took in the scent of Sasuke who still laid upon him. _'Still smells like alpha plus… mmm…smoked wood, fresh earth and of course anger.'_ He felt Sasuke's body heat as he lay upon him still, catching his breath. Naruto could feel his wolf stimulate several erotic areas within his body and he mentally scolded it, noting this wasn't the time!

"Are you ready to listen?" Naruto breathed out. "Or do I have to succumb to force again?" Naruto grinned out as he lightly placed his fingers back on Sasuke's torso. The raven flinched from the touch and quickly rolled off Naruto to the ground. Naruto sat up quickly and sat cross legged, watching Sasuke to see what his next move would be.

Sasuke slowly lifted himself up to sit on the ground, his eyes trained on the wild grass below. He couldn't look at the alpha, the fear shivered through him and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep his face stoic. Showing weakness was never an option in his world. He took some deep breaths to calm his heart and his wolf continued to nudge at unfamiliar sensations.

Naruto took a loud breath when he realized Sasuke wasn't going to run. He scratched at his head roughly. "Okay Sasuke, you—well that _whole_ statement surprised me ya know? And to be honest, that just brought up—like a _whole_ shitload of thoughts, okay?" Naruto flopped his hands on his knees and his eyes were wide staring at Sasuke. Sasuke didn't respond, so Naruto decided to continue. "And I have to say – it's kind of embarrassing –" Naruto snorted out slightly. "But I started thinking you kinda were having parts _removed?_ " Naruto squinted up his face in question and embarrassment as he guilty looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke snapped his head up in surprise. His eyes instantly took in the guilty smile and the soft blue eyes. The fire was in the distance behind them but it cast a soft glow behind Naruto, and Sasuke swore Naruto looked like an angel. Naruto started chuckling softly and running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, so stupid right?" Naruto settled slightly before taking a more serious look at the silent raven. "Seriously though, why don't you tell me more? Sure, I'm shocked and confused, but Sasuke—this doesn't change how I feel about you." Naruto leaned slightly forward, his eyes holding the raven steady.

Sasuke blinked several times into the darker blue, surprised at what the blond had just said. He didn't know what to say. Naruto started to shimmy closer towards him and Sasuke held his position. His wolf purred loudly, calming his nerves as the alpha moved closer. Naruto spread his legs so they situated on either side of Sasuke and moved close enough that Sasuke was staring at him straight on. He could feel the calming aura seeping in waves off of Naruto and he inhaled deeply. He instantly felt soothed and safe, as if nothing could penetrate him to hurt him. It was then that Naruto leaned over and pulled Sasuke into an embrace. Sasuke allowed the alpha and shivered slightly as the alpha's heat engulfed him instantly. Naruto purred loudly, whispered soft hushing noises and rubbed Sasuke's back. Sasuke allowed himself to lay his head onto Naruto's shoulder and relish in the pampering.

How long they sat, Sasuke didn't know, but he allowed the alpha to stand, pull him up and lead him back to the blanket laying in the sand. The fire was a bed of hot coals and darkness overtook where there was once light from the flames. The moon beamed brightly upon the two, the stars twinkled above and Naruto sat first, then leading Sasuke to sit in front of him, so he could lean his back against the alpha's looked out over the still lake, feeling the warmth surrounding him from the alpha's body that was currently wrapped around him. Naruto's chin gently relaxed on his shoulder and he could hear the soft breaths caressing his cheek.

"I have questions of course," Naruto whispered. "But I'm willing to wait until you are comfortable." His voice was calm and soothing.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, Sasuke focused on the small waves that washed across the rocks and began to talk.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Kyuubi sat watching the white wolf tongue at his wounds, lying nearby. He had applied water to the open wounds, hoping that it would have cleaned them well enough to not get infected. The other wolf didn't shift, and Kyuubi wondered if the small omega would. No hurry though. The wolf obviously was distressed from what had happened but Kyuubi was curious to where this wolf was from. Its white fur was blended with a light shade of silver gray all throughout his body that appeared to get darker as it moved towards his hind legs. There were two black patches of fur on his forehead too.

"So," Kyuubi started. He couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Can you tell me where you're from?"The white wolf stopped and moved his head to look at the red head. "I promise I won't hurt ya, though I don't know what I can do to prove that." Kyuubi grumbled slightly before throwing a smile at the wolf.

The white wolf huffed out at him and began to whimper slightly. "Oh hey, I'm sorry, are you still—" Kyuubi started to move but then noticed that the white wolf was starting to shift. _'Oh sweet,'_ Kyuubi hummed to himself. He waited patiently as the wolf transformed into his human self. After several minutes, the man lay lying face first in the grass, his head resting on his arms. He was slender, with milky skin and long white hair. Kyuubi could hear him panting and whimpering in discomfort and he could see the injuries littering an arm and around his shoulders. Concern crossed his mind as he could feel the discomfort coming from the omega and Kyuubi moved in closer. "Hey, you did good. Are you alright? Does anything hurt bad?" Kyuubi touched the omega's crown gently, letting him know that he was there and meant no harm.

The omega began to push up on his arms, trying to get up, Kyuubi immediately offered assistance, placing his hands under the omega's shoulders and assisting the small omega into a sitting the omega was sitting, Kyuubi bent over trying to see his face. His long white hair was in tangles, leaves and twigs littered in it and hanging over his face. "Hey now, is that better?" Kyuubi whispered. He didn't want to scare the omega and waited for a sign. He felt a strong urge to push the hair away from the omega's face, but waited. Small coughs came from behind the hair and omega moved his head up. Small slender hands came up to move his hair from his face and Kyuubi was faced with the round sea green eyes again. Those eyes widened as they held Kyuubi rooted, his body couldn't move as he stared hard into those eyes that glimmered in moisture. His wolf thrummed against his chest, demanding attention but Kyuubi couldn't look away. "Wow," he whispered. His hand moved so his fingers could push some of the omega's hair away from his face. The omega flinched in surprise but didn't move while Kyuubi pushed the long strands over the omega's shoulder revealing two round marks on the omega's forehead.

Finally Kyuubi blinked several times and noticed the injuries littering the man's shoulders, face, chest and arm. His wolf growled out in irritation seeing the lithe omega injured. "Let me check those to make sure they are clean," Kyuubi murmured out as he moved his fingers over the milky skin, moving the white hair so he could see the various cuts. After several minutes of Kyuubi checking the smaller man's injuries, he sat back and faced the man. "Do you have a name?"

A shiver came from the omega as he pulled on his long hair and looked down at the grass. "Kimimaro," a soft voice breathed out.

Kyuubi grinned. "Well Kimimaro, where ya from?"

"N-nowhere. I live here." Keeping his eyes downcast, Kimimaro held a trembling hand up and pointed towards the thick trees and hills.

"Does your pack live near by?"

Kimimaro shook his head. "No pack."

 _'He has no pack?! But he's so delicate!'_ Kyuubi couldn't imagine this small omega living out in the wilderness on his own, at the risk of being hunted, attacked or killed! "Do you have anyone?" Kyuubi's wolf growled out from within when the omega again shook his head no.

"I would not be able to live with myself if I left you here Kimimaro. Especially injured. You should come home with me." Kyuubi gave a no nonsense tone and his inner wolf huffed out in agreement. Kimimaro looked up at him, fear in his eyes that Kyuubi recognized instantly. "Hey, hey, it's alright," Kyuubi spoke softly as he scolded himself for scaring the omega. "It isn't safe for you out here. First of all, you're hurt and need time to let those wounds heal. Second, there are hunters out there looking for us all the time! I couldn't live with the thought of something happening to you!" Kimimaro pulled his knees up to his chin and hugged his legs, letting out a whimper.

Kyuubi stood then, his mind made up. "I'm going to shift and you can hang onto my back. You shouldn't be shifting and running with those injuries. I have a bag just outside of town with clothes." He looked down at the omega who was now peeking up at him and gave him a smile. He moved back several feet and began to shift. When he was done, he shook his body hard, allowing his deep red fur to shake loose and catch in the breeze. He padded towards the small omega and gave a snort before laying down on all fours. He gave a look at the omega, that said to hop on and the omega shivered again as he held a hand out to touch the fur. Kyuubi let out a purr as the omega began to run his fingers through the red fur and finally moved to hop on. As soon as the omega was settled, Kyuubi began a slow run back towards town, with an omega hanging on tight to his back.

==x00x00x00x00x00x==

Sasuke relaxed back into Naruto's embrace, letting out a long had talked, Naruto listened, with only asking a random question now and then. He had talked about his clan and the expectations that were passed on for several generations. He shared about how Itachi was the star in his family's eye, being that he excelled at practically everything and was a strong impressive alpha. He struggled bringing up his coming of age, how he despised himself after his revealing and how he finally couldn't think of going on and was desperate to seek the help of a madman who promised him escape. He leaned his head against the alpha's shoulder, looking up to the stars. If only life were easy that he could look up at the stars and not have to worry about where his life would take him. A soothing purr was felt through Naruto's chest and Sasuke felt his wolf responding. A heat was building up in his gut again as his wolf began to rub against senses within Sasuke that he wasn't to familiar with.

"Sasuke?" Naruto hummed out. Sasuke turned his head slightly to show that he was listening. "Thank you for sharing with me." Naruto nuzzled his nose into Sasuke's ear inhaling deeply. He frowned slightly only smelling an alpha scent laced with anger. "I think my wolf knew all along though. It could never stop reacting with excitement whenever you are near."

"What about when I saw you in the hospital?" Sasuke snorted out. He certainly didn't forget the stab of pain when he could sense the threatening scent Naruto released.

"Aw Sas. Again that isn't fair. I wasn't exactly in a safe frame of mind!" Naruto pouted behind Sasuke. "You can't imagine what its like," Naruto whispered out. "The knowledge of knowing who you are but in the same sense, you don't know who you are. A huge part of yourself is missing." He sighed out sorrowfully.

"Sorry,"Sasuke whispered, catching the sad scent . Naruto was right. It wasn't fair of him to bring that up. Strong arms hugged him close with a content hum. His wolf pawed at sensory areas again and Sasuke felt tingling in his body that had him trembling. _What the hell is going on with his wolf? Now isn't the time to get all weird!_ He scolded his wolf, but it completely ignored him and continued to send vibrations of heat and tingles. He couldn't stop trembling and his heart began to thrum against his chest. He bit the inside of his cheek and tried to take steady breaths, willing his body to calm down. The purrs coming from the alpha were overloading his senses and a sudden desire washed over him to sink more into the alpha's scent.

"Mmm, Sasuke," Naruto whispered out huskily. "You smell _so_ good." Naruto moved his nose up and down the soft skin of Sasuke's neck. His wolf was practically growling out its purr now as Sasuke's scent began to surround him. His alpha instincts were rising and beginning to fill into every crevice and hole within him. Naruto bit the inside of his cheek suddenly, suppressing his wolf hard."Can I kiss and touch you?" Naruto whispered out.

Sasuke hummed out permission then tilted his head to give the alpha more access to his neck then grabbed the blonde's hair pulling him closer to his neck. The alpha's sweet scent was inviting, calming yet triggering excitement. These feelings were new and Sasuke found himself reaching out to pull them into his hold. The sensation of being safe, coddled, yet his excitement was growing causing goosebumps to rise on his skin. A moan escaped his lips without his consent but he quickly dismissed it as the lips currently touching his skin sent sparks throughout him.

"Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke," Naruto whispered through his lips as his tongue traced up the smooth skin of Sasuke's neck. "You have no idea what you do to me." His palms slid up under Sasuke's shirt, feeling the smooth marble skin before his fingertips gently rubbed his nipples. The moan that came from Sasuke's lips had him shivering. His alpha flared up, releasing a scent of desire and want and Naruto's eyes flickered.

Sasuke panted heavily as he felt heat radiate from within him. He arched his back suddenly when Naruto caressed his body and his tongue traced his neck, leaving a trail of sparks that pooled in his gut. It wasn't enough, the need rose in him and he quickly turned in Naruto's lap to straddle him. His eyes took in the blond alpha, who's half lidded eyes held him. The alpha's blue eyes were replaced with yellow, his cheeks were flushed lightly and Naruto licked his lips while panting. The alpha was an impressive site that had Sasuke wanting to flaunt himself wholly. He licked his lips slowly and ran his hand through thick blond hair, giving a slight tug. "Naru—," Sasuke breathed out before running his tongue across his lips. The alpha's eyes hazed over when Sasuke pulled his hair and released a deep growl. Sasuke's skin electrified as the growl vibrated over his skin. "Nngh…" he cried out and arched his back from the onslaught of sensations.

Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's body, pulling the arched body into his and claiming Sasuke's lips. The heat and strong alluring scent emanating from Sasuke had Naruto's push his tongue into the dark cavern, determined to taste all areas. When Sasuke grabbed the back of his head to pull him in closer, heat exploded in Naruto causing his wolf's desires to surface. His hands traced Sasuke's back down to ass, giving them an experimental squeeze. Sasuke moaned out through his nose and his hips unconsciously rutted against Naruto. "F-fuck Sas," he murmured as he leaned forward to lay Sasuke back on the blanket, the omega allowing this while his lips continued to suckle on Naruto's. He laid above the raven, Naruto's hardened cock nudged against the other and both hissed out in pleasure. He dropped his lips to Sasuke's neck, Sasuke purring and mewling out as their cocks rubbed together.

Sasuke's body was overrun with a thick fog of sexual stimulation and excitement. He succumbed to his instincts and his wolf rolled and purred for the alpha. His body screamed for more, his mind was drunk on pleasure and he wrapped one leg around the alpha, pulling him in harder."Mmm…Naru, more—fuck more." He didn't recognize his own voice as it left his lips while Naruto opened his shirt and began tasting his way down his chest. He shivered out a mew when Naruto took one of his nipples between his teeth."F-fuck yesss…," Sasuke hissed out as he fisted the blond locks, causing the alpha to growl as he nipped further down Sasuke's body.

Naruto kissed around Sasuke's navel, giving a few nips, smiling to himself as he noticed the shiver and goosebumps on the omega. He ran his fingers along the elastic of Sasuke's pants and his yellow eyes looked up to meet up with black 's eyes rolled back as he pushed the blonde's head gently, the permission Naruto was waiting slipped Sasuke's pants off, his lips and tongue running on every piece of skin that was unwrapped. Naruto dropped his nose into the small patch of black hair that nestled around the omega's erect cock and he inhaled deeply. He could feel Sasuke's muscles twitch, hear his soft whimpers and smell his scent. Sasuke was releasing the most heavenly heated and inviting scent that swirled around him making his own cock ache. Moving his hands to Sasuke's hips, holding them steady he slipped his mouth over the tip of Sasuke's cock, twirling his tongue around the mushroom head.

Sasuke gasped out as his hips tried to shift up into the heat wrapped around his cock, but Naruto's strong hands held his hips in place. His eyes squinted shut as the heat sent ripples of ecstasy though his body. "Sh-sh-sh—ah-ahhh…" Sasuke's lips released a blubber of words as the alpha's tongue and mouth worked his cock. Sasuke's head shook back and forth, his hands gripping from Naruto's hair then to the blanket. His knees shook then squeezed the alpha's shoulders when he felt Naruto's tongue push against the slit of his cock. "Ah! Oh god-damn…N-Naru," he breathed out. When Naruto's fingers pushed against his perineum , his back arched when he was slammed with an orgasm. He saw sparkles of colour behind his eyelids as he rode the wave of endorphins pulsing through him, the alpha still swallowing around his shaft.

When Sasuke began to settle, Naruto lapped up around Sasuke's now sensitive cock and his thumbs rubbed his hips gently, a silent appreciation. He slid his way up Sasuke's torso, peppering kisses on his chest and along his jaw line. "Thank you Sasuke," Naruto whispered as he kissed an ear lobe.

Sasuke's body was incredibly relaxed and he basked in the attention the alpha was now doting on him. He hummed in question at the whisper of words and moved to face the blond. Deep blue eyes now returned, were soft and kind were looking back at him. Sasuke could feel his wolf practically vibrating within him. It continued to paw at sensory areas, creating pulsing shivers and a fresh wave of heat even though he had just had an orgasm. His heart continued to thump hard in his chest but he was too divulged in the after effects of the orgasm and looking into those blue eyes to notice.

Naruto lay beside Sasuke, an arm crooked up and holding up his head, his hand cupping Sasuke's cheek, giving him a small smile. "Thank you for trusting me enough to share with me what you could." He planted a soft kiss on his cheek then inhaled deeply. "Your scent Sasuke, it—it is…" he trailed off, closing his eyes.

Sasuke shivered slightly. Either from the chill of the air or from the scent, sound, and feelings coming from the alpha he didn't he did not feel fear, threatened or degraded for once. He felt warm, practically on fire from the inside, soothed and worshipped. The alpha was radiating the desire out in waves over the omega and Sasuke allowed himself to just bask.

"We should get into the tent Sas," Naruto whispered drunkenly. Sasuke hummed lazily in agreement. Naruto then nuzzled his nose into Sasuke's neck. "I can carry you," a husky whisper purred out. With a quick movement, Naruto swooped up the raven, faster than Sasuke could begin to chuckled at the sputtering coming from the man, but has them in the tent in seconds.

"Dobe, put me down _now!_ " Sasuke sputtered out when they were inside the tent. Naruto beamed a smile as he settled them both down on the floor of the tent, with their sleeping bags already set up. Sasuke gave Naruto a glare as he settled into his sleeping bag and Naruto just chuckled. Naruto shimmed his sleeping bag closer to Sasuke. Sasuke could see the blue eyes wide and watching him as they lay nose to nose in their respective bags. Both made no sounds, listening to the sounds of the night and their breathing.

=x00x00x00x00x00x=

Many happy thoughts to those who continue to follow this tale of our two ninjas :)

The story continues, this particular chap I wanted the boys to have a little time of peace and quiet and some bonding time after I put them through so much heh

Comments are just as exciting as receiving notification of a new chapter posting dont ya think? *grins*


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